Child Poverty National Seminar Series

Social Service Providers Aotearoa (SSPA) is running a national seminar series on Child Poverty and the Social Services facilitated by Associate Professor Michael O’Brien of University of Auckland and co-facilitated by local practitioners in five locations – Hamilton, Gisborne, Napier, Whangarei and Dunedin.

“Poverty, especially child poverty, has been the centre of attention in a range of policy, academic and research activities over recent years. At the same time, social service agencies and practitioners have identified it as a significant factor in their work, both because of its pervasiveness and because of the ways in which it impacts on the lives, experiences and aspirations of the children, families and communities they work with. There is a great need to link knowledge, practice and action and, as an umbrella body concerned with best practice, we are delighted to work with Associate Professor Mike O’Brien to present this series”, says SSPA National Manager Tara D’Sousa

The three-hour workshops will be co-facilitated with identified local practitioners and provide practitioners with a summary of the existing data on child poverty, engage them in discussion of case experiences and identify actions which might be taken to effect policy and practice in relation to child poverty including professional and ethical considerations.

Mike O’Brien says, “It is no coincidence that the groups which are over-represented in the poverty statistics are also significantly represented in daily practice in the social services. The multi-faceted nature of poverty and its effects mean that there are multiple and diverse impacts on the lives of families and communities. I look forward to meaningful discussions to create and celebrate working solutions with practitioners through this series of workshops”.

WORKSHOP DATES & VENUES:

Hamilton - Thursday 30 April 2015, The Auditorium, Te Ara Hou, 100 Morrinsville Rd

Gisborne – Tuesday 05 May 2015, Te Wananga O Aotearoa, 630 Childers Rd

Napier – Thursday 07 May 2015, Hetley Building, A101, Eastern Institute of Technology, 501 Gloucester St, Taradale

Whangarei - 28 May 2015, STAND Children’s Services Northern, 436 Maunu Road

Dunedin – 4 June 2015, Burns Hall, First Church of Otago, Moray Place

ENDS

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