Services

SERVICES AND WORKSHOPS

The above objectives are supported by the following services and workshops which are established in response to an identified need including but not limited to:

• Client Advocacy. (Legal, WINZ, IRD, Court, Police, CYFS etc).
• Social Services. (Home Visits, Hospital call outs)
• Home based and community outreach support.
• Domestic violence prevention training for victims and wider community.
• Appropriate referral services to networking agencies. (Parenting courses, CAD, Anger Management, Mental Health, Age Concern)
• Counselling (bi-lingual)
• Networking with external agencies. (Barnados, Plunket, Supporting Families)
• Providing appropriate feedback to agencies that we liaise with. (Police).
• Cross-Cultural orientation.
• Interpretation services.
• Community networking (community temples, government and non-government.
• Community projects targeting senior citizens of the community such as Healthy Eating Programmes

SERVICE DELIVERY

NZSWA runs support and advocacy services from a central location in Otahuhu while effectively promoting non-violent lifestyles within its community.

As additional funding becomes available, NZWA builds on current services to provide further essential and relevant support to all members of the community.

NZSWA is currently part of Family Violence Interagency Response System, (FVIAR).

If the client requires legal support they are referred to appropriate legal services.  Clients are referred to lawyers who are experienced and have an understanding and empathy towards the cause of domestic violence.

TYPES OF SERVICES

Services provided by NZSWA include:

OUTREACH SERVICES:

This service is for women and children who are referred to partnered safe house.  It works side by side with different agencies providing quality services to the client accessing resources for them.

FAMILY MEDIATION:

This is a pilot project that looks at couples/families (extended families) experiencing dynamics of domestic violence. This service takes the family as a whole and tries to mediate a resolution between the family members in conflict in a safe environment.

COMMUNITY BASED:

This service provides support and advocacy services to clients within the community and women and children who have moved out of safe houses and living in the community.

COUNSELLING:

Clients experiencing domestic or family violence are under immense stress and this could lead to mental disability.  Counselling is suggested to clients for their mental and spiritual well-being.  They are referred to culturally appropriate qualified ethnic counsellors who best meet the client’s needs.

Types of counselling suggested:

• Individual counselling.
• Relationship counselling.
• Family counselling.

LEGAL SERVICES:

Basic information regarding the clients legal rights are provided to the client during the assessment.  If the client requires legal support they are referred to appropriate legal services.  Clients are referred to lawyers who are experienced and have an understanding and empathy towards the cause of domestic violence.

Types of legal guidance:

• Family Law.
• Immigration Law.
• Property Law.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION:

Community education services include the following topics:

• awareness around domestic and family violence.
• appropriate training for staff and volunteers to enhance their skills and understanding about domestic and family violence.
• partnering with other agencies addressing the overall well-being of our client and members of community. For e.g. Healthy Eating Project, Memory book project, Car restraint project etc.
• holding Learner driver licence classes for ethnic community, coaching them in understanding the road codes enabling them to procure Learners drivers licence.
• providing information and booking group sessions for restricted and full licence test.
• translating information on parenting and domestic violence in bi-lingual language namely, Hindi and Punjabi.
• referring solo mothers living in community adjusting with the new changes and challenges of finance to Budgeting services.

SERVICE STANDARDS

NZSWA has a responsibility to provide services in accordance with the following service standards:

Access to services: to ensure access to services for each client is on the basis of relative need.

Information and consultation: to ensure each client is informed about her or his rights and responsibilities and the services available, and consulted about any changes required.

Efficient and effective management: to ensure that clients receive the benefit of well planned, efficient and accountable service management.

Co-ordinated, planned and reliable service delivery: to ensure that each client receive coordinated services that are planned , reliable and meet their ongoing specific needs.

Privacy, confidentiality and access to personal information: to ensure that the rights to privacy and confidentiality of each client is respected, and that the client has access to personal information held by NZSWA

Complaints and disputes: to ensure that each clients has access to fair and equitable procedures for dealing with complaints and disputes

Advocacy: to ensure each client has access to an advocate of her or his choice.

OUTREACH SERVICES FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

NZSWA does not have its own safe houses so women and children experiencing domestic violence are referred to partnered safe houses.

If referring to a safe house:

Contact the interpretation services to work with the safe house workers.

Explain the confidentiality and rules of safe house to the women.

Work with the woman providing her information and advocate for her legal rights, health and WINZ support.

Provide continuing support for clients when they leave the Refuge.

CLIENT’S OBLIGATION IF REFERRED TO SAFE HOUSE

While working with partnered safe houses, every staff member or volunteer of NZSWA will adhere to the policy of the Collective.  Clients are also expected to understand that:

Safe house address and phone number is confidential and maintained at all cost.

The importance of maintaining the confidentiality of safe house and rules of the house.

They must not disclose the address or contact number of the safe house to their partners or family members.

The risk involved and consequences to other clients from any of breach of confidentiality.

Should the client not fulfil by these obligations she may be asked to leave the safe house in 24 hours.  She might be given a written notice explaining the reasons to evacuate the premises.  All this would be according to the policy of the safe house.

FAMILY MEDIATION PROCESS

• An individual meeting is arranged between the social worker and the conflicting members of family.
• Initial assessment is made on the current situation.
• The action plan is determined according to the initial assessment made.
• An assessment is made on the level of risk involved in the family.
• Appropriate suggestions are made to ensure sanity of family member’s involved and minimizing risk.
• On matters of compatibility leading to misunderstandings between the couple, mediation is suggested.
• Based on task centred theory, issues are addressed and acknowledged and an amicable plan is drafted by the social worker and the client.
• According their needs, the family is referred to different agencies such as Relationship counselling, legal, CYFS, CAD, Supporting Families with Mental Health, Plunket, Barnados etc.
• If mediation shows signs of progress, it is suggested the couple seek relationship counselling.
• If the extended family is involved in the conflict, work closely with family and involve them in the mediation.
• When there is a necessity, and with the consent of the clients, the Police and CYFS are involved.
• Monitoring of the situation is through community based support.

COMMUNITY BASED

NZSWA provides outreach services to clients in the community, once they are able to assess the client’s needs through their telephone assessment or drop in clients.

NZSWA advocates for clients rights with WINZ, Hospitals, Court, CYFS, Police and other relevant agencies.

NZSWA provides clients with moral and social support while they are going through difficult phase of life, by making home visits to assess or connect them with community centres to address their isolation.