Family Safety Teams

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Liberation From Violence ConferenceMasterton,
Wairarapa 1-3 May 2005

• Family Safety Teams
• (FSTs)
• Update from the Police FST Project Team
• Rex Birdsall
• For Jodine Lee
• Project ManagerFamily Safety Team PilotsOoC
  Wellington
• May 2005

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Contents

• Mandate, funding governance of the FST Pilots
• Domestic / Family Violence is a key Crime
  Reduction Strategy Area for the NZ Government
• Origins of the Family Safety Teams (FSTs)
• What is an FST what does it do?
• Police FST implementation pushing on
  progressing despite the challenges
• Selection of NGO providers to supply adult
  victim advocates for the 1st 4 FST pilot sites
• Information sharing ( improved systemic
  co-ordination) is key to the intervention logic
  of the FST pilots
• Information sharing ideal state vs day one
  realities
• Questions / FST Pilot Project Newsletters

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Mandate, Funding and Governance of the FST pilots

• Funding for the Family Safety Team (FST) pilots
  was announced in Governments 2004 budget.
• This new initiative funding was in two tranches
• one to build capacity for family safety in MSD /
  CYFs and another
• to Justice for Family Safety pilots with Police,
  CYFs Non Govt Organisations (NGOs).
• This commentary is relative to the latter tranche
  for Police NGO pilots.
• Four FST pilot sites, (Auckland/Hamilton
  Hutt/Wairarapa) are to be operational for the
  year from 1 July 2005.
• Another pilot (Christchurch) is to be commenced
  in August 2005 and the last pilot site in
  Counties Manakau is to be operative in July 2006.

• Ministerial vote accountability for these FST
  pilots vests with Justice Minister Phil Goff.
• The Police sponsor is Assistant Commissioner
  Peter Marshall.
• A National Steering Committee comprised of 5
  representatives from the NGO sector, 2 from
  MSD/CYFs, 1 each from Justice and Police,
  sponsors and oversees these pilots.
• A Police Steering Committee comprised of
  Assistant Commissioners Marshall Broad plus
  Superintendents Trappitt, McLeod Christian
  provide Police governance.
• The Project Manager is Jodine Lee, Senior Policy
  Analyst, Office of the Commissioner, with
  assistance from Rex Birdsall.

The key message is - Yes FSTs are real they
are happening including an FST pilot site in the
Wairarapa
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Domestic/Family Violence is a key target CRS area
in New Zealand

• Family Violence ( Child Abuse) is one of seven
  priorities listed in the NZ Governments Crime
  Reduction Strategy Areas.
• In Polices Statement of Intent, Focus on
  Priorities the first listed target outcome for
  2004/05 is to Reduce Violence (including family
  violence).
• Governments Community Sexual Violence Strategy
  2004 Te Rito Family Violence Strategy 2002
  provide significant opportunities for Police
  other government agencies, in collaboration with
  the non government sector, to achieve real gains
  in reducing violence.

• These pilots provide a 3 year funding stream to
  make a difference at the coal face in the Family
  Violence (FV) sector
• They include specific (tagged or ring fenced)
  funding for
• Extra NGO resources for FSTs
• Extra Police resources for FSTs
• Extra CYF resources for FSTs
• Training for FSTs
• A national co-ordinator for FSTs
• Evaluation (formative, baseline, process,
  outcome)
• There is also Govt funding for
• Family Violence Co-ordinators at Police
  Districts/areas where there will not be an FST
  pilot
• MSD/CYF WINZ re FV

Were official were in the head lights Carpe
diem lets FST
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Origins of these Family Safety Teams (FSTs)

• A budget bid was made by Police in October 2003
• This was prompted by and based on overseas
  models, particularly Crisis Response Teams
  Combined Police/Adult Child Victim advocacy
• MOJ (Justice) saw the opportunity to expand this
  bid with increased collaboration between Police,
  CYF Community NGOs
• The collaborative model incorporated care
  protection and systemic family violence responses
• While the end objective was to reduce the
  incidence severity of domestic violence, key
  process targets for the FST pilots include
• Early interventions
• Integrated inter-agency responses information
  sharing
• Getting the voices of children heard
• The Aplin Report added impetus to the budget bid

• The budget bid was successful but then the hard
  yards started
• NGOs were upset funding was captured by Govt
  agencies rather than at the coal face
• Agencies debated the focus of the teams doing
  or systemic advice improvement
• The design/composition role/focus/location of
  Family Safety Teams was unclear
• Formation of a National Steering Committee did
  not immediately resolve these issues
• This was not surprising as the NSC reflected the
  formative, fragmented under resourced Family
  Violence sector
• Design of the FST pilots started with a framework
  moulded by the collaborative input of the
  government and non government agencies,
  supplemented by the voices of the initial pilot
  Family Violence communities in Auckland /
  Hamilton Hutt / Wairarapa

The process itself has been useful in developing
systemic knowledge of FV in NZ A mix of local
solutions for local problems /- rules based
organisational responses
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So what does an FST look like what does it do?

• A Family Safety Team is comprised of
• A police supervisor police investigators (sworn
  officers who have powers of arrest)
• Child Victim advocates in two pilot sites these
  include a CYF social worker
• Adult Victim advocates
• The Child Victim advocates are employed
  supported by NGOs
• FST members share common offices, where they will
  operate as a team
• These offices may be as an adjunct to a Police
  station, in a CYF office, co-located with an NGO
  or in 3rd party secure premises
• The respective FST members will have access to
  their organisations communications, computer,
  clinical supervision support systems national
  networks

• The FST members will complete a range of
  functions generally focused on developing
  implementing best practice
• In their respective areas of expertise
• Across the whole system in their family violence
  community networks
• In doing this they may work
• Hands on on specific cases
• In more of a review, training support role
  across the local FV system
• They will supplement, not replace existing FV
  provider networks
• Hence the role the FST members perform will
  depend upon how well developed their local FV
  network is, local resourcing work/case load
  demands

A major benefit the FSTs bring is the mandate and
ability to helicopter above the daily grind
and look at systemic improvements right through
the FV system
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Police FST project implementation pushing on
despite the challenges

• The project was transferred to Police for
  implementation as from December 2004
• Since then the implementation has proceeded on
  the basis of the FST pilots being work in
  progress ie it is accepted that there is no one
  ideal agreed model for all pilot sites and that
  flexibility will be retained through the
  formative phases of design and implementation
• Perceived real challenges have included
• Use of a competitive tendering model to select
  NGOs to supply advocates. This caused stress in
  the FV NGO sector - both due to a lack of
  resources familiarity of tendering because it
  inherently challenged the collaborative working
  models
• Differing interpretations of the Privacy Act
  challenging the information sharing needs of the
  FSTs and used for patch protectionism
• Logistics locations, communications, IT access
  security were a challenge

• Ensuring diverse community voices were encouraged
  listened to.This required a delay in the
  proposed timing of the tender process for
  Christchurch pilot.
• Accommodating the various rules based practices
  processes of the public sector which the NGO
  sector are not always familiar with. The tender
  RFP evaluation process was a good example of
  this
• Working in a learning environment where changes
  and challenges are almost constant.This has
  required extra patience, time effort on the
  part of the project team, but has, and still
  continues, to reassure stakeholders that their
  input will be valued acted on and that we value
  build on prior achievements
• HR IR employment terms conditions will need
  ongoing management where the FST is a virtual
  team with different employers terms conditions
• Team dynamics, reflecting the differing cultural
  operational styles of the agencies involved

The FV sector is in need of evidence based
practices findings if it is to justify input of
further resources investment. Lets build on
the existing base.
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Selection of NGO providers for the 1st 4 FST
pilot sites

• Tenders from NGOs have been processed for the 1st
  four pilot sites. A full RFP process was
  followed including use of an independent
  evaluation panel.
• The preferred lead suppliers were
• Preventing Violence in The Home (Auckland FST
  pilot)
• HAIP Hamilton Abuse Intervention Project
  (Hamilton FST pilot)
• Wairarapa Womens Refuge (Wairarapa FST pilot)
• Joint Hutt City Womens Refuge Te Kökiri Marae
  Maori Womens Refuge (Hutt FST pilot)
• The above chosen NGOs were all well established
  participants and contributors in their local FV
  communities.
• Contract negotiations have commenced with these
  NGOs with a view to them recruiting the advocates
  in time for a July commencement of pilots.

• If these contract negotiations are unsuccessful,
  Police will initiate negotiations with the next
  preferred bidder.
• Police note their appreciation of the many NGOs
  which bid to supply advocates and reassure those
  unsuccessful NGO bidders
• Their prior and continuing contributions to their
  local FV communities is noted and valued
• They continue to be valued members of their local
  FV communities
• Protection of their interests, including
  referrals for provision of FV services will be
  included in FST operational processes
• A request for tender process is underway to
  select the preferred NGO provider for the six
  advocates for the Christchurch pilot. This
  process will be finalised in time for the chosen
  NGO(s) to recruit advocates for an
  August/September start.

To date - it has been challenging a little
scary at times but we are making progress and
it will all be well worthwhile
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Information sharing is key to the intervention
logic of the pilots

• The summarised intervention logic diagram below
  posits that
• The addition of new FV funding
• Spent on additional FV resources
• In integrated multi disciplinary teams
• Focusing on early intervention for high acuity at
  risk families, plus systemic improvements
• In practice led, flexible FST pilots
• Will lead to sustainable reductions in the
  incidence severity of family violence.

• Better information sharing within the family
  violence sector is key to the success of the FST
  pilots.
• Conjoint with this is the need for family
  violence service providers to better work
  together so as to make best use of scarce
  resources, improve processes and procedures, be
  more cost effective and achieve better family
  safety outcomes.
• The evaluative base of these pilots can assist
  the FV sector to build its business case.

We must at all times keep foremost what we are
here for sustained reduction of FV
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Information sharing in day to day operations
within the FST TeamIdeal state versus day one
realities

• Optimum
• All team members access use one integrated
  database or repository of information on at risk
  clients.
• On line access to up to date personal information
  on all at risk families is readily available to
  all team members.
• A flexible standardised case management system is
  used across all providers.
• A unique identifier system ensures that positive
  identification is quickly made to provide
  protection to at risk clients.
• One central triage system ensures cases are risk
  rated and assigned accordingly.
• Automatic advices and tracking are provided where
  at risk clients move location from one FST
  location to another.
• Systemic requirements are serviced by an
  established regime of continuing education.

• Achievable (current status)
• There is no one FV database repository or system.
  Police access NIA, CYFs access CYRAS and NGOs
  their individual systems.
• On line access differs by agency NGO. Access
  to NIA is limited to Police staff, CYRAS to CYFs
  staff. NGOs have their own rules re access.
• A variety of case management system processes and
  systems exist (non standardised).
• There is no single unique identifier, other than
  given name address. Health have an NHI but
  that is not available to other agencies.
• Where triage systems exist they differ in
  operation and effect by location. Police Pol
  400 is the generic initiator.
• There is no universal facility for tracking or
  advising changes of address between FV locations.
  
• There are no national standards as to service
  delivery or continuing education.

(We cant always do what wed like on day one)
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Questions / FST Pilot Project Newsletters

• The FST project team are happy to field
  questions, either
• Today at the Conference
• Or
• In the future
• If you would like to receive our Police FST Pilot
  Project newsletters (which are distributed by
  email) please send your name organisational
  details to carol.inge_at_police.govt.nz
• Rex Birdsall
• Thomas.Birdsall_at_police.govt.nz
• DDI 04 470 7130
• Cell 025 437 376