National family violence centre up and running

19 August 2005

National family violence centre up and running

New Zealand’s first national centre for the collation and dissemination of family violence research and practice information is being officially launched at the University of Canterbury next week.

The New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse, based at Te Awatea Violence Research Centre, will help increase awareness and understanding of the dynamics of family violence and how it can be prevented. It will make quality information available to help maximise the effectiveness of prevention strategies.

The Clearinghouse approach is an outcome of the Government’s Te Rito New Zealand Family Violence Prevention Strategy, which highlights the need for centralising information on family violence.

Te Awatea, and the University’s Information Technology Services, together with a consortium of NGO partners (Child Abuse Prevention Services, National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges and Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga/The National Network Stopping Violence Services), won a Ministry of Social Development contract worth more than a million dollars to spearhead the establishment of the Clearinghouse.

This consortium combines academic interests and tertiary training with the knowledge and experience of government and non-government organisations.

Over the next two years the Clearinghouse will develop a number of resources. The main focus this year will be to produce an update of the 1998 publication An Agenda for Family Violence Research. This will provide access to a wide range of up-to-date research on various aspects of family violence and identify knowledge gaps. The Clearinghouse will also develop a collection of best practice resources and guidelines.

Supporting this process is a website: www.nzfvc.org.nz. It also provides information on events, current initiatives, training and career opportunities, useful website links, and research funding sources for those working towards preventing family violence.

ENDS

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