Research on impact of Centrepoint life on children

Media Release
27 May, 2010
Embargoed until 11am

New research reveals impact of Centrepoint community life on children

The New Zealand Communities Growth Trust (NZCGT) has welcomed the findings of a Massey University psychologists’ report into the experiences of children who grew up in Centrepoint, an ‘intentional community'.

New research by a team of Massey University psychologists into the outcomes for children who grew up in the Centrepoint community, which existed in Albany between 1977 and 2000, has found that although some people reported having had positive experiences, others have suffered long-term effects from childhood sexual abuse, parental neglect, drug abuse, manipulation and the stigma surrounding the community.

The research was conducted by Dr Kerry Gibson, Associate Professor Mandy Morgan and Cheryl Woolley – all members of Massey University’s School of Psychology.

“Although many people in New Zealand have heard of Centrepoint because of high profile child sexual abuse cases reported in the media, not many understand what it was like for children to grow up there,” says Dr Gibson. She added that the research has tried to tell the stories of the children ’in their own words’ as many of the research participants felt that they hadn’t had an opportunity to say how things were from their perspective.

“The publicity around Centrepoint made it difficult for people to feel that they could talk about their experiences there. A better understanding of what it was like to be a child at Centrepoint will be useful for health professionals and the broader public to respond more sensitively to the needs of former members of the community,” she added.

It is estimated between 200 and 300 children lived or stayed at Centrepoint over the time it was operational. The study provides an in-depth understanding of the experiences of 29 of them, most of whom are now adults.

Some told researchers they experienced positive impacts such as resilience, independence, good social skills, and the ability to relate honestly and openly.

But researchers found many are now suffering on-going psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety, substance abuse, financial management problems, life skills deficits, education and career issues, social stigma, and problems forming intimate relationships. Some participants told researchers they fear their experiences may affect their own children.

Researchers say health professionals need more education to better identify and help those struggling to re-integrate, including knowledge of how these communities operate, the variety of members’ responses and needs, and a likely mistrust of some health providers.

“There needs to be greater awareness both in the general community and in the health/rehabilitation sector about the impact of cults and intentional communities on people,” the report says.

The research study was commissioned by the New Zealand Communities Growth Trust (NZCGT), a Trust managed by Public Trust. Among the Trust’s objects, it provides charitable grants for former Centrepoint members. The study, titled ‘A different kind of family: Retrospective accounts of growing up at Centrepoint and implications for adulthood’, will be used to guide the Trust’s support and rehabilitation funding in the future.

Simon Dixie from Public Trust said the findings would help the Trust better understand how to support the Centrepoint stakeholders more effectively.

“We knew those who lived at Centrepoint had a wide variety of experiences there. While some former residents view it as a positive experience, others have really struggled and we have worked hard to support them. The research findings will help us to ensure that we are providing the best possible support we can,” Mr Dixie said.

One of the outcomes of the research will be to share the learnings and recommendations with health professionals involved in assisting children from intentional communities, so that they can identify issues among those who have left one and can understand the challenges members face in re-integrating.

Ends.

Copies of the research executive summary and full report can be accessed on www.nzcgt.co.nz from Friday 28th May. If you’d like a copy of these documents earlier, please contact Kate Necklen on 029 978 4528.

--

Notes for Journalists:
• Centrepoint was opened by Bert Potter in 1977. At its peak it had a permit for 244 full-time residents to live at the Albany property. Centrepoint was shut down in 2000 after a number of senior leaders, including Potter, were convicted for sexual abuse and drugs crimes.
• Members of the Centrepoint community gave all their personal assets into the Centrepoint Community Growth Trust. When Centrepoint was closed, these assets were put under the control of NZCGT, a trust managed by Public Trust.
• The New Zealand Communities Growth Trust was established by High Court order in March 2000. It is a reformation of the former Centrepoint Community Growth Trust, which established and operated an intentional community in Albany from the late 1970s to the 1990s.
• An ‘intentional community’ is a group of like-minded people living together who tend to share common political, religious or social views. They often share property, possessions, work and income.
• The High Court appointed Public Trust as trustee and provided for charitable grants to be made under four categories:
1) Therapeutic and counselling
2) Education
3) Public benefit (including the support and establishment of communities), and the
4) Relief of poverty

• With grants from the Trust, preference is currently given to former residents of the Centrepoint community and their children. Applications by persons who are not former residents of the Centrepoint community or their children may also be considered.

• Dr Kerry Gibson is the Director of the Centre for Psychology at Massey University in Auckland. She is a clinical psychologist who has extensive experience of trauma work – with both adults and children. She has authored a number of publications about trauma and its effects on individuals and organizations. Dr Gibson is also on the executive of the New Zealand Psychological Society where she holds the portfolio of Director of Training and Professional Development.

• Mandy Morgan is an Associate Professor in Critical Psychology and Head of School at the School of Psychology at Massey University in Aotearoa/New Zealand. She has particular interests in theoretical debates concerning the relationships between poststructuralism and psychology, and specialises in qualitative research. As well as these interests she’s involved in a research programme in the area of domestic violence services and interventions. Most recently she has been collaborating with other researchers and stakeholders at the Waitakere Family Violence Court in Auckland to evaluate the Court’s protocols and the services of some NGOs who provide community based interventions to those who are involved in court processes. The focus of her postgraduate supervision programme is supporting the development of critical research and indigenous psychological theory. She has published work in a variety of places, including the journal Theory & Psychology.

© Scoop Media