|
Join us to help strengthen community services The NZFVWO is an active network of social service organisations. We provide a unique opportunity to be involved in strengthening community services and increasing the influence and power of the sector. |
Issue 13 – Dec 2005 New Dialogue is published four times a year. Next issue Feb 2006 |
||||||||||||
|
New Dialogue is published four times a year. This full online version of the magazine is electronically distributed via email. A four page hard-copy summary called ‘New Dialogue Mini’ is circulated to 3,500 social service organisations around the country. Both are available free. For quick and easy subscription to the New Dialogue (online) or New Dialogue Mini (hardcopy summary) log on to: |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Theme: Primary health care for all
* Vision of The Primary Health Care Strategy, 2001 |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Theme: Primary health care for all PHOs: new stars in the non-profit firmament PHOs and NGOs – a happy marriage? NGOs and the Primary Health Care Strategy 18,000 signature petition for homecare workers Community / iwi driven services and PHOs From the Executive Director’s desk… The Federation has a new website! Members’ forum: Christmas is special time Relationship Services, Wellington Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation Societies New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services Profiling Winnie – Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Community Sector National Forum 2005 International Volunteering Day 2005 Setting Financial Reporting Standards
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
PHOs: new stars in the non-profit firmament Professor Peter Crampton, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences |
|||||||||||||
|
Over the past three years implementation of the Primary Health Care Strategy has resulted in the formation of, so far, 80 new Primary Health Organisations (PHOs). PHOs represent an important policy initiative aimed at orienting primary health care towards comprehensive, community-governed, population-based services. PHOs are umbrella organisations that provide strategic guidance and management infrastructure for the general practices and other provider organisations that form their membership. PHOs are required to be non-profit organisations and to have community participation in their governance. They represent a new layer of administrative infrastructure in primary health care, and in practice vary widely in the extent to which they embrace the ethos of community-governed primary health care; some are professionally dominated while others are fully community-controlled. PHOs have tended to displace GP-owned and controlled Independent Practitioner Associations (IPAs) as the main corporate entity in primary health care (albeit IPAs, where they have not converted into PHOs, still have an important role in many areas providing management infrastructure to PHOs). What is the significance of PHOs? First, PHOs have an essential role providing operational management infrastructure for their member organisations including such activities as allocating government funds to members, providing information management support, carrying out health needs assessments, and managing and monitoring quality programmes. These operational functions are vital for the safe and efficient running of primary health care services and could, in practice, be provided just as adequately by different types of management support structures (eg IPAs). A second point to consider is the significance of the ownership configuration of PHOs as non-profit entities. This is not an entirely straightforward matter. While the voluntary/non-profit sector in New Zealand has a clear role providing a wide range of social services, and occupies a niche which is often largely uncontested by the for-profit sector, international experience of the non-profit sector in health is more complex. The US and New Zealand experience is that health non-profits often behave as public good organisations that pursue social rather than profit objectives; but by the same token, the US experience is that the behaviour of many non-profits is largely indistinguishable from that of their for-profit counterparts. As a result, the behaviour of non-profits in health has to be closely monitored to ensure that they are effectively implementing government policies. A third, related, point concerns the structural tension that the creation of PHOs has introduced into the system. While it is intended that PHOs have some degree of strategic control over their constituent general practices, in practice they have little power to breach the ownership boundary that separates them from their for-profit member practices. Given that different general practices are likely to have substantially different cost structures and business objectives from one another, under current funding arrangements (ie with partial government subsidies for general practice) it seems unlikely that a community-governed PHO can exercise real control over its private for-profit general practices — for example in regard to patient fees and staffing arrangements. Government has very advisedly indicated that it wants a ‘primary health care-led health system’. PHOs are a vehicle to help achieve that goal. The primary health care sector is evolving rapidly and there is no doubt that PHOs will change and evolve as they adapt to changing government policies and to the other forces that control them. Strong and focused government policies, including increased government ownership and non-profit ownership of general practices, will be required if PHOs are to develop their full potential as community-governed, population-based primary health care organisations. |
|||||||||||||
|
PHOs and NGOs – a happy marriage? Louise Carr, Member of the Health and Disability Sector NGO Working Group |
|||||||||||||
|
Primary Health Organisation (PHO) development within the health sector of New Zealand has been as varied as the mandarins who conceived this system could have possibly imagined. Hence it is a real challenge to comment on their development within the context of health and disability sector NGOs. To begin positively, the descriptors used when instigating this system are difficult to argue against. Today’s reality in New Zealand, however, doesn’t always fit the original dream. PHOs which have developed around sound community models are doing well and are successfully incorporating NGOs into their delivery of primary care. They are working closely with public health providers and are ensuring there is not a duplication of service delivery. Cooperation is assured by memoranda of understanding with NGOs, which are reinforced by DHB support. Where the model is working, DHBs are equally considering both NGOs and PHOs as potential providers of services and are ensuring that new funding is appropriately and equitably allocated. Additionally, workforce development initiatives are being developed in partnership with NGOs, and PHOs are being funded equitably. This said, there will be many NGOs reading this who may well be wondering what has been described here, as their reality is vastly different. Feedback received by the Health and Disability Sector NGO Working Group describes frustration at missing out on funding for new initiatives. DHBs seem to be overlooking the potential of NGO providers to deliver innovative programs. NGOs have well developed infrastructures and look on with consternation when funding is directed at PHOs to develop infrastructure for the delivery of services already provided effectively by NGOs. NGOs have been encouraged by the Minister of Health to be more vocal and actively engage with their local PHOs to ensure this duplication doesn’t occur. Some have done this very well and there are successful models of collaboration. Others report, however, frustration at the lack of collaboration with PHOs despite repeated efforts to do so. Some DHBs are not responsive to these approaches, leaving the NGO feeling isolated and vulnerable. NGOs are currently operating in a nebulous contracting environment. The only guidelines for contracting with NGOs are those devised by Treasury. On closer inspection they allow for a number of different interpretations. One of the most difficult areas to define are those in which a DHB can retender existing contracts. Some NGOs have been informed that their contracts are coming up for tender and given the reason that there may have been an increase in the number of providers who could potentially deliver these services, since the inception of PHOs. Imagine the consternation this causes providers who believe they have been successfully delivering on such contracts, have complied with a multiplicity of audit requirements, have invested heavily in workforce development and training and are suddenly faced with the prospect of losing their funding!! Through the Request For Proposal process they are faced with a competitive environment with the very providers with whom they have been trying to cooperate and collaborate . It would seem the government wants to have its cake and eat it, too! This does not happen for all contracts and it would be interesting to discover how many contracts that appear to fit easily into PHOs have been recently retendered and have gone from an NGO to a PHO. |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
Do you know?
· There are currently 81 PHOs covering approximately 3.8 million New Zealanders. |
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
NGOs and the Primary Health Care Strategy A report from the Health & Disability Sector NGO Working Group |
|||||||||||||
|
This report was commissioned by the NGO Working Group. To date, provision of information by Government about health and disability NGO participation in the new primary health care structure has been slight, and only in the context of health promotion. This does not address the wider context of the range of specialist services, holistic care and diverse support offered by the hundreds of health and disability NGOs. This study explores the experiences and identifies the key issues of eight NGOs as they seek to develop relationships with primary health organizations (PHOs) and establish their fit within the new primary health care structure. It also draws on statements reflected in the NGO - MOH survey of relationships with DHBs, and more recently with the Ministry of Health. Results showed that that while NGOs were generally supportive of the philosophy behind the Primary Health Care Strategy, particularly as the desire to reduce inequalities has traditionally been a major driver for NGOs, they had significant concerns about:
· devolvement of all primary health, and eventually public health funding, to PHOs. The feedback overall highlighted that, if NGO participation in the new environment is to be effective, there is an urgent need for action by Ministry of Health, DHBs and PHOs to:
Resolution of these issues has major implications for the sustainability of NGOs and the health and wellbeing of their communities. Furthermore there is a sense that the clients of NGOs do not receive the same benefits, in terms of subsidized care as those of PHOs. The full report Developing Relationships with Primary Health Organisations from an NGO Perspective: http://www.in-site.co.nz/platform/links/objects/NGOPHOReportfinal.pdf
|
|||||||||||||
|
Marion Blake, CEO, Platform |
|||||||||||||
|
New Zealand’s mental health system is still haunted by the remnants of a psychiatric service that treated minds in isolation from their bodies. According to the Mental Health Commission (April 2004) [[1]], people who use mental health services are sicker and will die younger than the rest of the population. The report reminds us of the additional health risks that mental health service users are exposed to; smoking with a legacy of cigarettes being used for behaviour management, poverty as a result of unemployment or intermittent employment, side effects of mental health pharmaceuticals that include obesity, poor dental health and increased risk of diabetes. The relationship between physical and mental health is obvious and unfortunately talking about holistic health doesn’t make it happen particularly when the systems of training, funding, planning and organising health exist as magnificent independent towers. A contemporary mental health system is often described as a continuum of services, clinical and social, that are accessible to support people who experience mental illness. Te Tahuhu [[2]], the cornerstone strategy that will shape the next decade of our mental health services, places emphasis on the role of the primary health sector to promote mental health and wellbeing and respond to the needs of people with mental illness and addiction. The changes in funding that have occurred in the Primary Health Care Strategy offers the opportunity and the glimmer of hope that could be the way of reconnecting our minds to our bodies. General Practice is the first place many people go to get assistance and here is the opportunity for the PHO to offer interventions that span the continuum of support to people who are experiencing mental distress. “Picking up problems at the earliest possible time and providing the right treatment in the right setting can prevent distress and suffering, prevent some problems becoming more severe and enhance recovery”. (Te Tahuhu) This would mean creating a new set of local relationships with psychologists, counsellors, non government mental health service providers and others. Our Lives in 2014 - a recovery vision from people with experience of mental illness [[3]] describes a society where communities and services work together, that provides flexible service responsibilities and boundaries, and where service users lead their own recovery. They call for services that include psychological therapies, support services including practical assistance, support for philosophical reflection, traditional and cultural healing, alternative and complementary treatments, psychiatric drugs that work for them, a choice of home, community or hospital based acute services, advocacy services. PHOs have the potential to become the point where this type of integration could occur not just in the sense of mental and physical health but where community agencies could also exercise collaboration across the health and social service divide. This is the opportunity to do holistic and place our minds back into our bodies.
|
|||||||||||||
|
18,000 signature petition for homecare workers Jackie Edkins, Rural Women New Zealand |
|||||||||||||
|
Seventy-seven years after a delegation called on the Government to reimburse travel expenses for homecare workers, Rural Women New Zealand is returning to Parliament on 2 December to present an 18,000-signature Petition with the same plea. The home-based care industry is in a state of crisis, with very high staff turnover – anecdotally around 50% per annum – and thousands of referrals being turned down due to the lack of available workers. A key issue is that travel workers must meet their own travel costs and are not paid when travelling between clients. In order to be paid for a 40 hour week, those in rural areas may actually have to work closer to 70 hours. There are over 20,000 home care workers – 95% of whom are women. They are amongst New Zealand’s lowest paid workers, receiving an average $10.50 per hour (for those providing domestic assistance) and $11.50 an hour for those providing personal care. But once tax and travel costs are taken into account, this wage can be severely eroded, particularly for workers in rural areas who have long distances to travel between clients. Home carers provide housekeeping and personal assistance to the elderly and infirm – the most vulnerable members of our society. It is a key service that enables people to stay in their own homes, rather than being removed from their communities to go to rest homes, sometimes far away. But it is a service that is sadly undervalued by those with the purse strings. Recruitment and retention problems are at crisis level. In some areas workers are no longer taking on any new cases and those who need home help may have to rely on friends, neighbours or family to provide the support they need. The Government increased funding by $15.5 million in the May 2005 Budget, but this is not nearly enough. A substantial injection of funding is required, in the region of $100 million. This would enable the providers to give workers pay-parity with DHB Aides, (who perform similar work), reimburse workers’ travel costs and travel time, and restore provider margins to 10%. The Government needs to tackle the problem in its entirety, rather than tinkering around the edges. Of the $15.5 million Budget increase, $4 million has already been spent on prior cost increases, including holiday pay requirements, and as yet none of the remaining $11 million has been paid out. The Government has now said this must be spent on travel costs, but it is tied to provider companies putting in place a “fair travel policy”. Meanwhile the DHBs and the Ministry of Health are grappling with the problem of coming up with “fair travel policy” guidelines, and the provider companies say this is an impossibility. RWNZ is particularly fearful about the impact of the “fair travel policy” for rural areas, where geographical distances between clients are greater, and DHB funding is less due to a smaller population base. DHBs in urban areas require a 12 to 16% increase in current funding to meet travel costs, whereas in rural areas SHBs would require a 45 to 50% increase. Rural Women New Zealand urges anyone who wishes to support our Petition to come along to Parliament at 11am on Friday 2 December. Given our 77 year history in getting some traction for this issue, it seems only fitting that a rural woman from that era is there in full period costume, including a 1920s vintage car! Please come along! For further information contact Jackie Edkins, Communications Officer, Rural Women New Zealand (04) 473 5524
|
|||||||||||||
|
Community / iwi driven services and PHOs Petra van den Munckhof, Health Care Aotearoa |
|||||||||||||
|
The impact of the Primary Health Organisation construct on
Health Care Aotearoa community driven / iwi member services has been
significant and in ways that were not always predicted. For the first time there was a primary health care strategy which embraced a vision of accessible community driven primary health care services that aims to address inequities in health status for Maori, Pacific and low income communities. Health Care Aotearoa (HCA) member services saw their vision enshrined in a national strategy and anticipated a funding path that would reflect need. HCA in fact had considerable input into this strategy and the development of the formula. Our networks services who had considerable experience in delivering community/ iwi driven services responsive to need were forerunners in moving to develop Primary Health Organisations (PHO’s) which were the instrument for the delivery of the strategy. Our members responded in a variety of ways to the call to form PHO’s. Some became PHO’s in and of themselves. Many formalised their relationships with local HCA services and combined under the umbrella of a PHO recognising that trust and similar kaupapa were essential ingredients for success. Others developed new relationships with other GP owned services and some were shut out altogether, particularly Maori and Pacific services that did not have GP services and were not accepted as partners with local GP services or did not wish their kaupapa to be compromised. PHO’s had minimum requirements including community involvement, not for profit status, population focus and proactive health promotion. HCA members were already committed to the kaupapa and strongly supported a proven “by Maori for Maori” “by Pacific for Pacific”, “by youth for youth “model. The exciting opportunities offered by Service to Improve Access (SIA) funding were taken up with enthusiasm by many as they this funding as a chance to continue to innovate with outreach nursing services, community health worker run programmes, whanau nursing and transport initiatives. Many were already delivering these services, now there was a clear funding path. Improved Information management was required and again initiatives were developed to share expertise. Almost all our network members formed small community or Maori led PHO’s. Being small had the advantage of flexibility and ease of innovation but posed significant challenges as onerous bureaucracy took hold. Services were sinking under the weight of writing yet one more plan as services were being rolled out. Many hoops were navigated as some had to prove again their capacity to deliver to newly formed District Health Boards keen to flex their authority and streamline their own workload. Yet other DHB’s were totally supportive , recognised the huge contribution these services were making to meeting the strategy and funded to enable them to succeed. Enthusiasm waned as funding was less than expected due to the impact of stringent “population register” business rules required when operating in a complex sector where the majority were operating on a “small business delivery model“ under a PHO umbrella reluctantly embracing the vision. Like so many in the Tangata Whenua, Community and Voluntary sector, the key focus was service delivery to meet community need. Meanwhile the contracting environment has increased requirements to present detailed plans, to justify funding which still came in siloed packages. Workforce shortage in both management and clinical areas threatens to overload. Services are now wanting to catch breath slow down the pace a little… review reflect and re energise. However considering the enormous change that the sector is undergoing, moving from a profession dominated frame (GP ownership) to a community driven population frame is not going to be easy. Many of our members express frustration when witnessing lack of “fairness” as funding does not necessarily match delivery of services and constantly justifying that “small” can deliver. Over the next three years there will be the challenge of seeing performance and delivery align with the vision and resources across the whole sector. Our members are confident in their delivery and have proved themselves. They now want to be recognised for their work, have the unnecessary bureaucratic demands removed, and get on with their commitment to deliver for their community. Note HCA 55 members are represented have formed into 18 PHO serving a high needs population of around 200,000 (there are a total of 80 PHO’s nationally)
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
Do you know?
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Belinda Hughes, Cancer Society New Zealand |
|||||||||||||
|
Whilst the death rate from cancer has slowed over the last two decades [[4]] cancer continues to be a leading cause of death in New Zealand, and cancer deaths are making an increasing contribution to the life expectancy gap for both Maori and Pacific peoples [[5]]. Maori are disproportionately affected by the burden of cancer, with cancer the leading cause of death for Maori women and the second most frequent cause of death for Maori men [[6]]. Many cancers can be prevented Cancer includes over a hundred diseases with different causes and different treatments. Based on current knowledge, at least one third of all cancers can be prevented, and a further third can be effectively detected and treated depending on the availability of appropriate resources. It is estimated that about 75-80% of cancers are attributable to lifestyle or environment and are therefore potentially preventable. However, increasingly it is people who are least well off in our society who have the greatest exposure to the risk factors for cancer and this increased risk is further compounded by differential access to health care - leading to poorer health outcomes. The most significant and modifiable risk factors for cancer in New Zealand include tobacco smoking, inadequate intakes of fruit and vegetables, obesity, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. However work around reducing these risk factors is not enough on its own. Indeed addressing risk factors alone, without consideration of the social and economic determinants of health, is likely to lead to increasing inequalities in health outcomes since the most at risk are the least likely to respond to messages about reducing risk. This means that in addition to reducing exposure to risk factors further effort is required to identify and address socio-economic issues in high risk groups. Smoking is a major preventable cause of cancer and other health inequalities Smoking is an important cause of health disparities in New Zealand and a significant contributor to Maori cancer deaths. During the 1980s and 90s smoking rates amongst European New Zealanders declined, especially amongst men and higher income groups, however the same pattern was not seen in Maori, Pacific peoples and low socio-economic groups [[7]]. By 2000 smoking caused 31% of all Maori deaths [[8]] and lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death of Maori [[9]]. Between 1981 and 1999 there was a near doubling of lung cancer deaths among low-income females [[10]]. Smoking rates are highest amongst groups that are most deprived in our community [[11]]. The starkest differences are observed when you look at smoking rates by ethnicity. Around half of Maori and a third of Pacific Peoples smoke as compared to a fifth of New Zealanders of European descent [[12]]. This is also seen when you look at smoking rates by occupation. Around 4 in 10 beneficiaries and a third of blue collar workers smoke, again markedly higher than the national average [[13]]. The impact of smoking is not restricted to those who smoke themselves. Maori infants and children can be expected to have twice the exposure to second-hand smoke of non-Maori children [[14]], leaving them at greater risk of respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia and bronchiolitis amongst other health problems [[15]]. Tobacco Control measures Experience has shown that there are many cost-effective tobacco control measures that can be used in different settings, and which can have a significant impact on tobacco consumption. The most cost-effective strategies are population-wide public policies, like tobacco tax and price increases, bans on direct and indirect tobacco advertising, smoke-free environments in all public and workplaces, and large clear graphic health messages on tobacco packaging. Many of these measures have been implemented in New Zealand, and the implementation of pictorial health warnings are only a matter of time. Research on tobacco taxation has concluded that it is ‘likely to be achieving far more benefit than harm in relatively socio-economically deprived populations, given the much greater harm from smoking relative to tobacco taxation’ [[16]]. However efforts to increase taxation on cigarettes (much needed since they have not had an increase since 2000) must ensure that a portion of the revenue raised is spent on effective quitting smoking services assisting Maori and low income people to quit, as well as increasing funding to efforts aimed at addressing underlying determinants (such as education, employment etc) in order to minimise the potential financial hardship to socio-economically deprived households to tobacco taxation. Conclusion Cancer is an increasingly important cause of death for the most deprived groups in our community and addressing key risk factors like smoking are vitally important if we are to close the widening cancer gap.
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Federation focus |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Judith Hoban, President NZFVWO |
|||||||||||||
|
As 2005 winds down the Federation can reflect on the year past with a degree of satisfaction at having completed a number of projects and knowing that other work is continuing to meet the needs of the sector. The new Executive has met twice and has begun a significant project to formulate policies for the organisation. A demanding undertaking but a challenge we relish and we aim to have these policies confirmed early in the New Year. Website redevelopment has been managed on the tightest of budgets and I know that you will be impressed with the new look and feel and the ease with which you will be able to access information. Well done Naj and team. The Charities Commission and its impact on our sector has demanded much of our energy – and yours, I suspect – during 2005. As it becomes a reality and we all work to meet the requirements it will demand of us, we need also to be mindful of the impact that the changes to financial reporting requirements will have. Frank Claridge, Charities Commissioner and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, recently addressed a group of sector representatives in Wellington when he outlined the background to these changes and prepared us a little for the way ahead. You will find an outline of Frank’s presentation elsewhere in this publication. Midst the rush and bustle we impose on ourselves at this time of the year, many of you will be preparing for one of your most intense periods of activity. Last week we spoke with our second daughter who is currently in Sri Lanka spending a few weeks working with her aunt, a Missionary of Charity Sister – the Catholic Order founded by Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Very quickly after her arrival in that country, Katherine had come to appreciate the enormous value and scope of services and support so readily available to people who require assistance and support here in NZ. She is working with children suffering extremes of physical and intellectual disability and abandoned by their families because of these conditions. They have very low levels - if any - of self support and almost totally dependent for their survival on others. The only love, care and security these children know is that showered on them by the sisters. Other support and services such as physiotherapy are virtually nonexistent. Any such services are offered in the main by international volunteers. Making this visit is a dream realised for Katherine who is learning to see the beauty of the work to which her aunt has been committed since leaving the comfort and security of NZ almost 30 years ago. Above all, she is learning the true value of the wonderful society she has grown up in and the enormous value added by people such as yourselves who daily and selflessly contribute in so many ways to the health and well being of all New Zealanders. As Christmas and holidays (for many) approach, I wish you and those close to you all the joys and blessings that are Christmas. To all who will continue to provide care and support for those in need, especially those ill and alone, the community thanks you for your time, your energy and compassion and the example of love and caring which you offer. May the coming year be one of challenges achieved and dreams fulfilled for all of us.
|
|||||||||||||
|
From the Executive Director’s desk… Tina Reid, Executive Director NZFVWO |
|||||||||||||
|
Championing Mentoring How do we
These are the questions that were discussed at a forum on mentoring held in Dunedin by the Federation at the end of October, and reflected in other forums in Invercargill, Hamilton and Auckland over the last month. Over the last two years the Federation has continued to be interested in supporting and promoting mentoring in the voluntary welfare sector, and making opportunities to talk about it and encourage its practice. Mentoring can be really useful to people in all roles in our organisations – paid staff, committee members, and volunteers. These positions can be quite isolated; people are often coming into them without many others around to help and without previous experience of the organisation. We also have a continual turn over of people in our organisations, and so need to be continually asking how best to support the people carrying out the gamut of tasks that we all depend on. We use the term mentoring broadly to describe a range of relationships from informal to highly structured, but is not clinical supervision. It is the notion of two wise heads – of a mutuality of giving and sharing which is not hierarchical or ego driven. Mentoring complements other training and experiences, and builds links and networks across our sector. It can be used for a wide range of situations, such as specific tasks – for example, teaching the use of a computer programme – to an ongoing personal relationship which concentrates more on life issues and goals. The principles and concepts of mentoring can be expressed in a variety of ways. The traditional idea of a more experienced person assisting someone new to a job in a one-on-one relationship is often the first thing people think of, but peer relationships and group relationships are also widely practised and very useful. There are some useful resources and training courses about mentoring –
The Federation has a new resource for use in 2006 – a resource pack about a training programme for experienced community workers to build their own practice and experience of mentoring. This is based on a group which met over the last year in Wellington, and we are now interested in supporting other groups to pick up and use this resource in developing mentoring practice in their own communities. The trainer for this group is available to support other trainers or groups in getting local projects established, including some visiting to other centres. Please contact me on 04 385 0981 or ed@nzfvwo.org.nz to discuss this.
|
|||||||||||||
|
The Federation has a new website! Naj Dehlavi, NZFVWO |
|||||||||||||
|
There is a wealth of excellent online information about the sector out there in cyberspace - but how does one go about finding it? This was one of the central questions the Federation set out to address when it decided to redesign its website. For months now, we have been busy behind the scenes re-thinking the website and its functionality. During the planning stages, several other questions also came up: Did the existing site adequately reflect the breadth of work undertaken by the Federation? How can we develop a website to complement the Federation’s role in information provision? What sort of information would be useful to our members and the wider sector? In trying to answer some of these questions, we have totally revamped our website. The homepage now features sector news and a bulletin highlighting upcoming events. More intuitive navigation tools have been incorporated throughout the design. Accessibility issues for people with impairments are to be addressed in the near future. Slower internet connections have also been kept in mind – the design is deliberately simple and mostly text based. Where ever possible, we have opted for smallest file sizes which offer faster downloading. Several brand-new sections have been added such as the Advocacy and Policy, Projects and Collaboration, and Useful Stuff pages, featuring information that was unavailable on the previous website. Explore the website and you will find government reports and strategies, legislation and policy documents, sector research and analysis, surveys and statistics and further links to external sites with fantastic resources and information. The thinking behind the new design is to make as much relevant and current information available with the greatest of ease and simplicity as possible. Doing so has been a challenge, but we hope that in some small measure we have achieved some of our goals. Although already online, the website will be officially launched in December. In the meantime, we continue to develop the website and are inviting comments (use the ‘Give Feedback’ option on the new menu) on any omissions, useful additions and general useability. We hope you like the feel of the new website and look forward to your feedback...
|
|||||||||||||
|
Keeping in touch with changes for NZFVWO Members |
|||||||||||||
|
· Debs Baker has started as the Manager of the Dunedin Volunteer Centre Trust, replacing Sam Huggard who is now in Wellington with the CTU.
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Members’ forum: Christmas is special time |
|||||||||||||
|
Every issue, we ask a number of our members their opinion on a topical issue. In this month’s edition we are asking three member organisations what impact the pressures of the festive season has on their services. |
|||||||||||||
|
Relationship Services, Wellington Hillary Smith |
|||||||||||||
|
How the Christmas cookie crumbles at Relationship Services - here it is: summer and strawberries, cricket and carols; the build up to Christmas is under way. Whether you welcome it with open arms or fend it off with rising desperation, the seasonal stir approaches. For some it’s a delightful whirl of celebration. For some it means a last mad dash to meet the year’s deadlines. Like a lot of NGO’s, at Relationship Services we see many people who find the anticipation is more anxious than excited. For them the crackle at Christmas owes more to stress and temper than to wrapping paper and crackers. We see families wondering how to make it through a minefield of holiday celebrations and keep themselves intact. Others struggle with the irony of gathering as a family when they lead separate lives. It’s a crunch time for many relationships. People may be expecting or hoping for seasonal goodwill. Instead some end up bone tired, broke and in company not of their choosing. It can make for a potent cocktail. In strained relationships, the conflicts tend to get more exaggerated. The cutting remark slips out quicker and seems to hurt more. The arguments get hotter, the silences colder, and violence comes out more as well. During December the frantic pace takes over for many of our clients and they postpone their appointments. There’s also a flurry of appointments for people who realise they can’t face Christmas without “doing something” and visiting us is a starting point. Similarly, we anticipate a post-Christmas sort-out. Some clients seek to clear the air after seasonal spirits got out of hand. We see many clients that bring the harsh side of the holidays to mind. It’s easy to dwell on this and think it’s the whole picture. But our clients teach us differently. The change of pace at this time of year gives people a chance to reflect. So January also brings us clients who are re-focusing on what’s important to them. They might be looking at changes in their relationships, in their working life, and sometimes in their own behaviour. One of the most encouraging groups we see are the couples who remember they like being together after all. Spending some relaxed time together over the holiday can do wonders. Instead of seeking counselling to “fix” each other, the attention shifts to taking care of the relationship. In a counselling context, that’s a pretty good happy ending. It’s the kind of good will that a good Christmas is all about.
|
|||||||||||||
|
Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation Societies John D Whitty, National Director |
|||||||||||||
|
Having a family/whanau member in prison is an emotional and financial burden. The 20 Prisoners’ Aid and Rehabilitation Societies who work with both prisoners and their family/whanau are only too well aware that Christmas only increases the stresses. I have asked a few societies about what Christmas means for prisoners and their family/whanau. Below are some of the responses: Canterbury raises funds and on 14 December they have a ‘present wrapping day’ when staff and volunteers help to wrap the presents for about 300 children previously identified by prisoners. Canterbury PARS operates a ‘baby run’ whereby volunteers take children who have no other adult willing to do so, to visit their parents in prison, and leading up to Christmas is a busy period. Gisborne donates food for a Christmas family meal at the Maori Focus Unit at Hawkes Bay Regional Prison. Many of the prisoners in the unit are from the East Coast. The society also makes up food parcels and Christmas presents using donations from Maori corporations, Salvation Army and private donations and distributes them to between 30-60 families. The society runs an informal craft group for family members on Wednesdays and the children have been assisted to decorate Christmas candles for the dinner table. Manawatu PARS receives gifts from the Association of Presbyterian Woman and donates them to the Angel Tree run by the Prison Fellowship NZ that collects and distributes gifts to children of prisoners at Christmas. One member of the Association of Presbyterian Women recycles Christmas cards and so PARS is able to provide cards to prisoners who request them. Hawkes Bay PARS, as part of a wider community scheme, similarly collects presents for the children of prisoners. The office of the local Member of Parliament Russell Fairbrother, a long-time member of PARS, is a collection point. Rotorua works closely with the Salvation Army and Women’s Health Group and collects items for about 30 Christmas hampers that are distributed to families of prisoners. Waikato PARS at Hamilton collects presents for the children of prisoners through a network of church groups. The society recalled that one year a businessman who had been helped by PARS came to the Court with a box of teddy bears for distribution at Christmas. The sub-branch at Tokoroa provides food parcels to needy families through networking with the local foodbank and New World. At Turangi it was recalled that a prisoner was encouraged to contribute the few dollars he earned each week at the prison to CHRISTO’S and a mother who had little food in the pantry received a surprise delivery of food for Christmas. Societies reminded that those arrested over the holidays have special needs as they are kept for days on end in Police Cells and often have no facilities to wash their clothing. The time leading up to Christmas can be a busy time for PARS as families want to travel to visit their loved ones in prison and at the same time have little money to meet all the extra costs that Christmas brings with it. Some societies run a van service to the local prison and there is always a high pre-Christmas demand. NZPARS also raises funds for our Child Travel Fund that assists with the petrol or other travel costs when children are visiting a parent in prison. Not long ago we assisted seven children from Auckland to visit their mother in prison in Christchurch. No one seems to consider the children when someone is sent to prison. It should be mentioned that PARS societies, staff and volunteers, will usually have a Christmas function. Most societies will close for a period but somebody will monitor the answer phone to respond to any requests. For more information about PARS and its work, visit:
|
|||||||||||||
|
New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services Jarrod Rendell, Information and Development |
|||||||||||||
|
The New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services represents over 150 Services, which share a common code of ethics, philosophy, and commitment to delivering free, culturally aware, confidential, and non-judgemental budgeting advice to families/whanau and individuals in New Zealand. The Festive Season is one of the hardest times of the year for tens of thousands of families in New Zealand. The joyous ringing of cash registers over Christmas may be golden to the ears of shop owners but for Budget Services it signals an inevitable blow-out forced upon families by this over-hyped, consumer-driven period. The Federation certainly doesn’t want to ‘bah humbug’ the magic of Christmas. But over the next couple of months presents will be opened, new years will be celebrated, post-Christmas specials will be bought, and summer holidays will be taken. This is a massive burden for low and even middle income families to bear and it’s inevitable that a percentage of the celebration will be financed by taking on debt. The promos and flyers will already be hitting mailboxes jam-packed with fantastic ‘specials’. The more popular items over recent years have been mobile phones, DVD players, robots, and ipods; all extremely expensive consumer goods. A lot of extra food and drink is consumed over this period with families paying up to three times or more on their shopping bills. Then the summer family holiday comes straight after the Boxing Day shopping spree, which will be even more expensive this year due to the recent petrol price rises. In the New Year, Budget Services can expect an influx of Clients through their doors. Federation President Shirley Woodrow says clients are less likely to show up to a Service over the Christmas period as they don’t want to be restricted in their expenditure. Around February and March, however, the client numbers peak. Multiple unpaid bills roll in and increased credit card debt is realised right at the time that kids go back to school with all the associated costs. It is around this time that Clients realise they have over-indulged and the reality of unplanned expenditure hits home. A number of good ideas for surviving this period include: paying essential bills, sticking to your budget limits, consider buying economy gifts, and setting maximum price limits. But the best budgeting tool by far is to plan ahead. ‘Unfortunately’, says Federation Chief Executive Raewyn Fox, ‘it’s too late now to plan for Christmas. Spend according to your means, don’t be sucked in to the retail pressure, and start planning now for next Christmas’. Make a New Years resolution to plan ahead for next Christmas. Add up the costs over this Christmas period and start putting away a little bit each week, beginning in January, so that this time next year all of the Christmas costs are already covered. There is nothing more satisfying than celebrating the New Year in a comfortable financial situation, knowing that there’s money in the bank to cover the bills, and able to start the following year on the front foot. For more information visit:
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Sector news |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Profiling Winnie – Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Office of Hon Winnie Laban |
|||||||||||||
|
Winnie Laban is the Member of Parliament for the Mana Electorate and the Minister for the Community and the Voluntary Sector, Associate Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment and Associate Minister for Economic Development. Winnie is New Zealand's first Pacific Island woman member of Parliament. Winnie Laban is the daughter of Ta'atofa Kenneth Poutoa Laban and Emi Tunupopo Patu. In 1992 she was bestowed the Samoan chiefly title of Luamanuvao, from the village of Vaiala, in the district of Vaimauga, Samoa. Winnie is a university graduate in Social Work (Victoria University) and Development Studies (Massey University). She operates effectively in both the Samoan and Palagi worlds. |
|
||||||||||||
|
Born in Wellington Winnie has a long history of community service and has worked in the government, private and voluntary sectors in New Zealand and in the pacific. She has worked as a Family Therapist and community worker, Manager of community programmes with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Board member Mental Health Foundation and a Senior Social Worker with the then Department of Social Welfare. In Parliament, Winnie has been Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Select Committee and sat for six years on the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee. She has previously served on the Government Administration and Social Services Select Committees, sat on the Special Select Committee for the Employment Relations Bill and Chaired the Caucus Justice Committee. As Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Winnie's intention is to meet with the different community and volunteering organisations and leaders to listen and learn about issues that affect the sector. Her first engagement is with the National Community Sector Conference in November. Winnie is well aware of the passion and commitment community people bring to their jobs – and the contribution they make to their respective communities. She acknowledges that communities can often do things that government simply cannot do. She is keen to develop strong robust working relationships across the sector. The signing of the Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship in 2001 demonstrated Government’s commitment to these relationships. During her term Winnie will be looking across her portfolio areas to broker positive relationships and outcomes between business, civil society groupings and government agencies.
On 12 November 2005, Winnie Laban attended the Community Sector National Forum in Wellington. This was her first public engagement since taking charge of the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector. The full text of her address to delegates at the Forum is available from the following link: http://www.winnie.org.nz/speeches/national_community_sector_for
|
|||||||||||||
|
Community Sector National Forum 2005 Tony Spelman, Co-Chair Tanagata Whenua & Peter Glensor, Co-Chair Tangata Tiriti |
|||||||||||||
|
On 11 and 12 November 2005, the 160 representatives of the Tangata Whenua Community and Voluntary Sector met in Wellington to consider national strategic issues that face the Sector. The forum achieved our primary aims: · bringing together people from the diversity of the Sector · sharing of information, skills and ideas · spelling out the priority issues and programmes for sector-wide work · mandating a way ahead for our combined work. We reflected on the words of Potatau Te Wherowhero, the first Maori king who spoke the following words two centuries ago:
For the Community Sector Taskforce, the bringing together of the various peoples of the Sector is possible under our way of working together within a Tiriti/Treaty relationships framework. 1/3 of the 160 participants were Tangata Whenua, and 2/3 from a wide range of backgrounds – collectively working as Tangata Tiriti. Through extensive caucusing as Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti, and coming together in the Meeting Place, the Forum worked on practical development programmes including a new research centre for our Sector, better information and communications networks, strategies to work more effectively with local government, capacity building and voicing the view of the Sector on issues like the Charities Commission processes, taxation issues and promoting volunteering. There was a strong call for strengthened networks at the regional and local level, with some specific commitments to start working as a Sector at all these levels. We welcomed the new Minister, Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, and had a constructive dialogue. The Community Sector Taskforce was charged by the Forum with an ongoing programme of work at the national, regional and local levels. We confirmed the need for an ongoing national leadership group resourced to do the work, the importance of regular meetings of national umbrellas and Sector leaders, a two yearly national Sector Forum as well as regional and local forums. Our task now is to develop a work programme so that our aim to continu | |||||||||||||
