May 27, 2015
Government policies hurting social agencies
The Green Party says the closure of Relationships Aotearoa is a major blow for the social services brought about by short-sighted government policies.
Co-leader Metira Turei says the closure will leave a gap in provision of specialist counselling services to Maori and domestic violence victims and perpetrators.
She says years of highly specialised knowledge and experience will be lost, along with a dedicated Maori for Maori service that assists Maori in a culturally sensitive way.
Another social services organisation, Raukura Waikato, has also been suspended as a child and family support service for 60 days.
Ms Turei says social service and education providers are expected to do more and different things with less funding.
"Contracts become more and more difficult to meet. The government sets its own objectives about what the agencies are supposed to do whether or not those objectives are good for the service itself or the people that they're serving. Then they end up in the same situation where the government says we're going to stop funding you because you're not doing what it is that we need, well actually it's been impossible for them to achieve that" she says.
Metiria Turei says cabinet papers released last week point to an agenda by Social Development Minister Anne Tolley to force some services to close so money can be channeled to more favoured organisations.
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