New workforce frameworks support improved responses to family violence

New workforce frameworks launched today will make an important difference to people impacted by family violence by strengthening responses and ensuring services support people’s safety, and long-term healing and wellbeing, Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Sexual Violence Marama Davidson says.

“People have long been asking for workforces capable of providing safe, consistent, and effective responses to family violence, in ways that meet their specific needs,” Marama Davidson said.

“The frameworks set new benchmarks for organisations and sets out the capabilities required of specialist and general workforces, so that everyone experiencing family violence gets the appropriate support when they reach out for help.”

These frameworks can be used by both government and non-government workforces to build understanding of the dynamics of family violence, and their capability to respond effectively to it, whenever, however and wherever it occurs.

The National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges and Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga – the National Network of Family Violence Services, will lead a ‘test and learn’ approach to the frameworks, developing tools and shared understanding. 

Government agencies will also be applying the frameworks, starting with Police, Ara Poutama Aoteroa – Corrections, and Justice. Budget 2022 invests in training for workforces to build capability, including for court-related workforces.

“Improving family violence responses will help victim-survivors have more confidence in the organisations and systems there to help them, so that they are more likely to seek the help they need to be safe, and strengthen and heal. Safe and effective responses will also support the work undertaken with people who use violence to ensure safe accountability and behaviour change.

“The first time someone reaches out for help may be the only time they have the courage to do so, and they need to be met with a response every time that is safe, and that provides the validation and support needed to start the long-term healing. That’s why building the capability of our workforces is so important,” Minister Davidson said.

“The frameworks were developed collaboratively by people who work in the specialist sector including tangata whenua, and representatives of victim-survivors, diverse communities such as disabled people and LGBTQIA+, and government. Taking a whānau- and family-centred approach to prevention, restoration and healing is a key focus.

“Eliminating family violence and sexual violence is one of our greatest opportunities for improving people’s wellbeing. Achieving this requires consistently effective responses that meet the needs of diverse groups of people. We look forward to working with everyone to promote and support the use of these important tools,” Marama Davidson said.

https://violencefree.govt.nz/our-work/workforce-capability/

Note to Editors:

• Specialist Family Violence Organisational Standards (SOS) – the organisational capability framework, which sets out capability benchmarks for organisations delivering specialist family violence services.

Specialist family violence organisations and practitioners work towards the elimination of family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand. As leaders in the sector, they play a pivotal role in providing effective, safe, and restorative services and responses

• Family Violence Entry to Expert Capability Framework (E2E) – a workforce capability framework, which sets out benchmarks for the skills and knowledge that workforces and practitioners need to respond to, and work effectively with, people who have been impacted by family violence and/or have been using violence. 

The vision of Te Aorerekura is ‘All people in Aotearoa New Zealand are thriving; their wellbeing is enhanced and sustained because they are safe and supported to live their lives free from family violence and sexual violence’.

The frameworks are tools to support organisations, staff, and family violence practitioners to incorporate Te Aorerekura – the National Strategy and Action Plan to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence into their work. The tools contribute to Te Aorerekura Shift 3: Towards skilled, culturally competent, and sustainable workforces, through contributing to:

Action 10: Develop and implement trauma-informed family violence and sexual violence capability frameworks for specialist workforces

Action 11: Agencies implement capability frameworks for generalist workforces

Action 14: Build the specialist workforces for children, and

Action 15: Build court workforce capability.

The frameworks can be accessed at violencefree.govt.nz/our-work/workforce-capability/