Our structure
Family and Community Services is a service of the Ministry of Social Development. We employ approximately 140 staff, located in four regional offices and at a national office in Wellington.
Regional offices
Family and Community Services (FACS) regional offices are in Auckland (Northern), Rotorua (Central North), Wellington (Central South) and Christchurch (Southern). Each regional boundary coincides with a group of territorial local authority boundaries.
Regional staff work closely with central government, local government, non-government agencies and community groups. Their goal is to improve the alignment of services for families in their area, through a collaborative approach to planning, service development and delivery and funding.
Regional roles include: leading and co-ordinating services for families across their region; and as a provider or funder of community-based social services.
Regional relationship managers
Regional relationship managers are the glue that connects community-based social services. They work closely with central government, local government, non-government agencies and community groups to understand local needs and develop effective responses to meet them. Their goal is to improve the alignment of services for families in their area, through a collaborative approach to planning, service development and delivery. They leverage off relationship networks such as Local Services Mapping, Strengthening Families, Te Rito Collaborative Networks, Strategies with Kids, Information for Parents (SKIP), and Safer Regional Councils and Regional Intersector forums.
Regional advisors funding
Regional funding advisors manage the funding and contracting relationships with community-based social services. Their role focuses on the relationship with the service providers and includes functions such as planning the funding in the local areas and negotiating and monitoring contracts.
Strengthening Families co-ordinators
Strengthening Families Co-ordinators are generally employed by community organisations on behalf of local management groups. A few Co-ordinators are employed by Family and Community Services. They co-ordinate agencies, making sure they are aligned to work with the families as they go through the strengthening families process.
Heartland Services co-ordinators
Heartland Service Centre co-ordinators can be employed either by Family and Community Services or a non government agency. They manage the Heartlands Service Centres helping people access the information, advice and resources and services they need.
National office
The National Office team consists of an advisory group, an operations team, a community relations team and a service development team.
Operations team
The Operations team includes some national office staff and all four regional offices. National office is responsible for programmes such as the Campaign for Preventing Family Violence, Strategies with Kids, Information for Parents (SKIP), Āhuru Mōwai (Parents as First Teachers) and the Family Services Directory. Regional offices and national office share responsibility for Local Services Mapping, Family Start and all programmes funded by Family and Community Services including the Community Response Fund.
Community relations team
Community relations work with the Maori Reference Group and the Pacific Advisory Group on their programmes of action. The Settling Programme is also managed by this team.
Settling In co-ordinators
The Settling In Co-ordinators are part of the Community Relations team. They work in the 11 following areas: Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Hawke's Bay, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson/Tasman/West Coast, Marlborough and Christchurch.
Service Development team
The Strong Families team develops and reviews programmes funded by Family and Community Services. The Community Relations team manages the settling In programme for refugee and migrants and the relationships with Māori and Pacific groups.
