Frequently asked questions about the fund

About the changes to family violence funding

What are the main family violence initiatives being announced?

Hon. Tariana Turia, Associate Minister of Social Development, announced on 1 April 2011 funding for five family violence initiatives valued at $11.035 million as part of the 2011/2012 funding plan. These are:

• the mass media component of the ‘It's not OK' – Campaign for Action on Family Violence ($0.5 million)
• the E Tu Whānau! campaign ($0.5 million)
• a new Pasifika campaign to address family violence in Pacific communities ($0.5 million)
• a new capability-building training programme- based on the Mauri Ora training programme – for Pacific family violence service providers to learn culturally appropriate ways to support Pacific families who have experienced family violence ($1.0 million)
• the expansion of the $2.0 million – Family Violence Whānau Ora Fund – now renamed as the Family-Centred Services Fund ($8.535 million of additional funding).

In addition the package includes $2.8 million for a period of one year to support innovative and joined up approaches to the co-ordination of responses to family violence. This may include responses such as community networks and case collaboration.

Where does the funding come from to fund these initiatives?

Because of the current economic situation, no new ongoing money is available. Existing funding from four separate funds is being used to fund the five priority areas.

What is Government trying to achieve through these five new initiatives?

These five initiatives represent a range of responses to family violence. Three of the initiatives – the It's not OK campaign, E Tu Whānau! and the new Pasifika campaign – all work around creating a supportive environment for families and whānau that is violence free.   

Each of the five family violence initiatives will contribute to strengthening the support offered to families who are experiencing family violence.

Continued funding for It's not OK Campaign TV advertising will build on the successes of the campaign so far in reducing family violence. Research shows that more people are taking action as a result of the campaign and community groups report that the campaign is creating a supportive environment that is enabling victims to seek help.

Continued funding for E Tu Whānau! will build on the high level of readiness within te Ao Māori for change. Research for the It's not OK Campaign found that Māori men and women felt the TV ads had helped them understand that violence is unacceptable and change is possible.

The new Pasifika campaign will be designed, delivered and led by Pacific people. It will have clear, consistent messages about building strong families and preventing and addressing violence. Research for the It's not OK Campaign showed high readiness in the Pacific community for change.

Culturally appropriate practice is important in addressing family violence within specific communities. The new funding for Pacific training for Pacific family violence providers will enable development of a Pacific programme based on Project Mauri Ora which has attracted widespread support across Māori communities.

The new Family-Centred Services Fund will add $8.535m to the Family Violence Whānau Ora fund established in 2009, bringing the total to $10.535m per year. The current criteria for this fund will be widened so that all providers and provider collectives of family violence services can apply.

The fund will enable family violence services providers and provider collectives to work more flexibly to restore family safety and family wellbeing where violence has occurred and to help create the longer-term changes needed to prevent violence from recurring. This may involve helping them to access any additional services that they may need and to draw on the informal supports available in their wider whānau and community to help achieve longer-term transformational change in their environment.

The fund will also encourage providers to work together to reduce service fragmentation, duplication and gaps – to provide more innovative, integrated and cost-effective frontline services that better respond to local needs.  

What initiatives have lost funding due to the reprioritisation of this funding? 

Funding for the following three initiatives will no longer be available. These are: 

• Te Rito Collaborative Community Family Violence Prevention Fund – which provided funding for 32 community-based family violence networks. The networks aimed to improve inter-agency co-ordination, collaboration and communication between groups and encourage the development of whole of community strategies to prevent family violence. Most Te Rito contracts were due to expire on 30 June 2011.
• Advocates for Children and Young People Who Witness Family Violence programme funded 45 co-ordinators in locations throughout New Zealand to raise community awareness about the impact of family violence on children and young people, identify service gaps in the community, build strong collaborative networks within the community to ensure agencies and service groups are connected to one another and take action for the best interests of children and young people. The majority of contracts for this programme were due to expire on 30 June 2011.
• Family Violence Education Services funded a range of family violence information, education and support services across the country.  

All providers delivering the above services can apply to the Family-Centred Services Fund if they fit the criteria.    

What about funding for the co-ordination of responses to family violence, such as community networks and case collaboration?

$2.8 million will also be available for a period of one year to support innovative and joined up approaches to the co-ordination of responses to family violence. This may include responses such as community networks and case collaboration

During this time the Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families will complete its review on how best to achieve good co-ordination of family violence services and initiatives across New Zealand communities.     

Applicants can apply for this additional funding under the Family-Centred Services Fund which will ensure that funding goes towards effective collaboration and is equitably distributed. 

What does this mean for Te Rito and Child Advocates?

Te Rito Collaborative Fund and the Advocates for Children and Young People who Witness Family Violence initiative providers can apply to the new Family-Centred Services Fund for this additional one year of funding, if they meet the Fund's criteria. 

There will be a focus on effective, innovative and joined up proposals and a better spread of funding to meet community need. 

The Family-Centred Services Fund

What is this Fund about?

The Family-Centred Services Fund aims to enable family violence service providers, and provider collectives, to respond to community need; to work more flexibly and innovatively with families and whānau where family violence has occurred so that safety and wellbeing is restored.  

Through building on their own strengths and resilience, family and whānau will be able to identify their own ways to change anti-social practices and behaviours that lead to violence.

This may involve helping them to access additional services and to draw in family, whānau and the community to help achieve lasting change in their environment.

The fund will also encourage providers to work together to reduce service fragmentation, duplication and gaps – to provide more innovative, integrated and cost-effective frontline services that better respond to local needs.  

Funding will be distributed equitably with most funding going to areas of highest need - for instance, areas with high levels of reported family violence. 

Additional funding of $2.8 million will also be available for a period of one year to support effective, innovative and joined up approaches to the co-ordination of responses to family violence. This may include funding to support such things as community family violence networks and case collaboration.

When will applications for the Family-Centred Services Fund open?

Applications open 1 April 2011 and close 29 April 2011. Funding will be available for the financial year commencing 1 July 2011.

Who can apply for the Fund?

The Fund is aimed at family violence service providers, provider collectives and related community organisations working in the family violence prevention field.

What are the key elements of the Fund?

Applications will be sought from community-based social service providers and collectives of providers and related agencies working in the family violence area, and who have credibility in their communities, to:

• deliver direct services to family and whānau that restore safety and wellbeing where family violence has occurred, and that help create the longer-term changes needed to prevent violence from recurring
• help families and whānau to access any additional services that they may need and to draw in their wider whānau and community to help achieve longer-term transformational change in their environment
• reduce service fragmentation, duplication and gaps through better integration of current service responses to ensure more effective frontline services to families – focused on achieving outcomes that demonstrate a positive difference has been made.

Funding will also be available for the 2011/2012 year to support effective, innovative and joined up approaches to the co-ordination of family violence responses.

The full criteria for the Family-Centred Services Fund can be found on www.familyservices.govt.nz.  

Is there a maximum amount of funding that can be applied for under the Family-Centred Services Fund?

The maximum amount of funding available to any one provider is $100,000 per year. However, a higher level of funding will be considered for proposals from provider collectives.

Funding agreements will initially be for one year with an option for renewal depending on programme priorities and provider performance.

I am applying to deliver flexible and innovative family violence services to families and whanau that answer need in my community. I am also the lead provider on behalf a collective that is applying under the co-ordinated response section for funding to support our community family violence network. Can I do a separate application for each of these?

Yes, community organisations applying for funding as a sole provider as well as on behalf of a number of organisations, (ie as the lead agency in a provider collective) can make two applications for funding.

Applications by sole providers seeking funding for that individual organisation to deliver family violence services are subject to a funding cap of $100,000 per year.

Applications that are made by a lead provider on behalf of a provider collective either to deliver a range of integrated, joined up family violence services with other providers, or for case collaboration and co-ordination of local family violence responses, are not subject to a funding cap of $100,000 per year. A higher level of funding will be considered for these applications if appropriate.

Do current holders of a Family Violence Whānau Ora Service contract have to reapply to the Family-Centred Services Fund.

The Family Violence Whānau Ora Fund will be folded into the broader Family-Centred Services Fund. However, current providers of Family Violence Whānau Ora services who are able to demonstrate that they are achieving good outcomes for the families and whānau they are working with will have their current one-year contracts renewed from 1 July 2011 – they will not have to re-apply for funding under the new Fund.

Who will evaluate the proposals?

Applications will be evaluated by one national panel consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Social Development and a representative from each of the Māori, Pasifika, ethnic and disability communities.

What are the priority areas for funding and how were they identified?

A range of data has been used to identify the areas of greatest need, medium need and lesser need for funding, including court applications for protection orders, Police family violence incident reports, notifications to Child, Youth and Family, and the proportion of people on low incomes in each area. 

We will distribute this information in the form of maps. These maps will help guide providers making applications to the fund and will also be used by the assessment panel.

How do you apply for the Fund?

Applications can be made using the form, which can be found on www.familyservices.govt.nz.

Can applicants get help to apply to the new fund?

Community briefings will be held in April 2011 to raise awareness of the new Fund and its components and also to assist providers to apply. The dates and locations of these briefings will be posted on familyservices.govt.nz and also publicised in Funding News. MSD funding advisors will also be available to support applicants.