Hon Steve Maharey
Minister of Social Services and Employment

Strong communities and strong families

Parenting support, family violence prevention programmes and improved community-based services are allocated an additional $39.7 million in Budget 2003.

The new funding, which runs over four years, supports the for-community, by-community focus of the government and complements the establishment of the recently announced Community and Voluntary Sector Office, said Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey.

“$10.8 million will be spent on a two-year multi-media public education campaign beginning next year to emphasise positive parenting. Community-based programmes will also be run across the country over the next three years to support the campaign’s key messages. This reflects the government’s commitment to help Kiwi parents find effective, non-violent ways to discipline their children.

“The Families Commission, funding for which was announced on 30 April, will also have considerable resources to spend on new and enhanced parenting programmes and to commission research on ways to better support New Zealand families,” Steve Maharey said.

Other funding includes:
- $16 million for community-based services, including family violence prevention programmes, as part of the implementation of Te Rito, the New Zealand Family Violence Strategy.
- $3.3 million to better support caregivers and Strengthening Families coordinators and to abolish the co-payment schools make to be part of the Social Workers in Schools programme.
- $7.7 million to respond better to the community needs identified by Child, Youth and Family through its local services mapping project and to work with refugee and migrant communities to identify how social services can be made more responsive to their requirements.
- $1.9 million to establish another seven Heartland Service Centres, taking the number to 32, and for community-based advocacy support.

ENDS

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