Doing more for Kiwi kids
For more than 60 years, Barnardos have been helping children, families and whānau in need. Today, they are continuing to support, protect and educate thousands of New Zealand children.
In 2018, Barnardos Porirua, Tawa, Upper Hutt and Hutt Valley received more than 200 referrals where family violence was involved. Around 60% of these referrals came from sources other than the Police or Court.
Barnardos found that for many of these cases, the services that children and families required, needed a much wider focus than just family violence. Providing truly holisitc and wrap-around services would require an understanding of each individual case, and the trends that they were beginning to see.
Responding to a growing need
Most family/whānau that Barnardos work fall within the lowest income brackets, this tends to also correspond with lower standards of health, non-secure housing, poorer education outcomes, intergenerational unemployment, greater life stresses and increased rates of behavioural issues amongst children.
The Domestic Violence Programme run in Porirua, Tawa, Upper Hutt and Hutt Valley works with children who have experienced or are experiencing family violence. Their highly trained team delivered all aspects of the programme including:
Development of safety plans
Emotional support to process their experiences and understand that violence is never okay
Identifying safe people and safe spaces that they could go to if violence occurs again in their lives
Activities and exercises that helped them understand their experiences and begin to heal
Whilst they are seeing positive results, they have also been overwhelmed by the increasing number of referrals for the programme, which led them to over-deliver during the past year. Many of their trained professionals are also seeing a growth in the number of children who have experienced violence in their lives, that is more sustained and complex than ever before. While an average group size for their programme would be eight, they have had to reduce some of these to four to address the complex needs of these children, and ensure they minimise any anxiety or pressure.
Breaking the cycle
Between July 2018 – June 2019, Barnardos helped 80 children and 40 caregivers with the support of a $4,000 grant from Nikau Foundation.
“Behind all our work and the lives changed stands the Barnardos family of supporters: they are vital to everything we do and we are so grateful. Steady grant funding means children all across New Zealand get the ongoing support they need. When funders give to us, they are giving to children who need it most.”
As a result of the programme, many of the children they have worked with are happier, safer and more emotionally stable. It is hoped that the impact of the programme will last far into the future, and that they themselves will not engage in violence. Their aim is that each child and family will continue to make sustainable progress, function more effectively, and that their will be marked improvements in each of the children’s lives.
We are grateful to the Bice Tennyson fund which helped make this grant possible.