Annual Report 2014

VISION A Vibrant and Strong Social Service Sector

WHAKATAU He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata! What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people!

SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS AOTEAROA INC. PRINCIPLES

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Partnership and Consultation

Accountability and Transparency

Cover: xxxxxxxx

Social Justice

Best Practice

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Ko Aoraki te maunga Ko Waimakariri te awa Ko Waitaha te rohe Ko Ngāi Tahu te haukāinga Ko Ngāti Pākehā taku iwi Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa 2013–14 was another productive year for SSPA with Tara D’Sousa, our National Manager building on the strong foundation left by John Dickson. SSPA’s relationships have been vital to SSPA’s work of learning from the social service provider sector and advocating for its needs. It is SSPA’s goal to contribute to discussions of importance to social service providers and to positively contribute to policy discussions which influence our work and communities. Despite our moderate size and budget I feel proud of the opportunities offered to SSPA and the respect with which our contributions have been received. The Executive has been an active governance body during this period as guardians of the vision and mission of SSPA. I thank them all for their voluntary efforts on behalf of the membership which they juggle around very busy jobs in the sector. Executive members also work hard in their own regions to build strong local networks. Their contribution is born out of a passion to see the children, youth, families and elderly that we all serve receive the highest quality services possible. The organisation would not exist without their grassroots knowledge and skill. We bid a fond farewell to Gaylene Lawrence from our Executive last year and warmly welcomed Tayo Agunlejika, Wayne Fergusson and briefly Tania Blomfield. We also farewelled Poto Williams who gained a seat in Parliament in a by-election. Poto is SSPA’s first MP and it is great to know that we have a voice in Parliament that understands the sector well. I would like to especially thank Ayumi Sakakibara of SSPA and Andeana Pilalis from Fostering Kids for their excellent work organising our joint 2013 Conference. Throughout New Zealand SSPA‘s generous member volunteers have arranged networking get-togethers and training opportunities as SSPA works to provide locally relevant opportunities for the sector to connect. SSPA is only ever going to be as useful and relevant as the people who belong, lead, participate and care about it, make it. We welcome any suggestions and initiatives from the regions and encourage members to respond to local needs and interests. I believe that SSPA can have a vital role in enabling our sector to learn how to serve the needs of the community via training, research, collective strength and discussions. Na, Maggy Tai Rakena

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LETTER FROM THE NATIONAL MANAGER Tena koutou katoa, As National Manager of SSPA I have hugely enjoyed the first 12 months of this challenging and important role. One of my first tasks was to facilitate a review of SSPA’s Strategic Plan with the National Executive. It was a pleasure to work with a dynamic group of highly professional representatives of our member organisations through a process of reflection to develop SSPA’s 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan. Our organisation is ever more vibrant and active in the operationalising of the goals identified as critical to fulfil the vision of SSPA over the next four years. Over this year I have been grateful for the many relationships SSPA has established upon which I have been able to build. I have visited our members in Auckland, Rotorua, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch. Our office has had meaningful discussions regarding child and family well-being, the state of the sector and partnership with our members, government and nongovernment agencies, peak bodies, politicians and academics. We have been able to use members’ and practitioners’ feedback from surveys to make a significant submission to the Vulnerable Children Bill and an election position statement. I deeply appreciate the skills of SSPA Events and Administration Officer Ayumi Sakakibara who has, between her Conference organising and administration tasks, also kept our Facebook Page, Website and mail-outs current and relevant to our membership. Finally I wish to acknowledge the experience, wisdom and skills of our National Executive under whose guidance SSPA continues to thrive. Our activities have been highlighted in this report; as always we welcome your feedback and viewpoints via email, telephone or meeting. Communication is key to the strength and solidarity of SSPA. Nga mihi nui, Tara D’Sousa

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NATIONAL EXCECUTIVE TEAM Maggy Tai Rakena Chair

Manager START – Christchurch

Raewyn Bhana Deputy Chair

Manager Safer Aotearoa Family Violence Prevention Network – Auckland

Shane Murdoch Treasurer

General Manager Cholmondeley Children’s Centre – Christchurch

Helen Sullivan

General Manager Sexual Abuse HELP Foundation – Wellington

Irene Te Koeti

Manager Family Works, Presbyterian Support – Southland

Suzie Munro

Community Social Work Team Leader Stand Children’s Services

Liz Cassidy-Nelson

Regional Manager Lifeline Aotearoa – Northland

Dee-Ann Wolferstan

Chief Executive Officer Te Whare Ruruhau O Meri Trust – Auckland/Northland

Tayo Agunlejika

Executive Director NZFMC (Multicultural NZ) – Wellington

Wayne Ferguson

Assistant Director Key Assets – Auckland

Gaylene Lawrence Resigned Sep 2013

Training Manager Fostering Kids

Poto Williams Resigned Oct 2013

General Manager St. John of God Waipuna – Christchurch

Tania Blomfield Resigned May 2014

Manager Counselling Services Centre – Auckland

Tara D’Sousa

SSPA National Manager

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N E W S T R AT E G I C P L A N

MISSION

Empower Member Service Providers to make a positive and significant difference through their work with children, young people, families and communities STRATEGIC PRIORITIES Partnership

We place strong emphasis on positive relationships and collaboration to bring about collective change

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Capability

We will support the membership to deliver the most efficient and effective outcomes

Dialogue

We value the voices of the most vulnerable and sector-wide conversation on areas of concern

Resilience

We foster communities’ strengths to achieve long-term sustainability and well-being

During 2013 - 14 SSPA worked towards the following goals:

1. Build meaningful partnership across the diversity of the social services sector Membership, Participation and Collaboration •

During 2013–2014 SSPA’s membership database was consolidated with volunteer help to confirm 189 paid-up members and 101 member agencies requiring follow up regarding their subscription across the 15 regions spanning New Zealand. Membership demographics are now being managed to provide useful data and the new strategy aims to diversify membership.

•

Our members provide a range of services and models. – Crisis intervention: violence crisis support, child and youth bed-nights, day programmes, safe-houses, foster and respite care placements – Specialist services: alcohol and drug services, violence intervention and prevention – Ongoing individual, family and community services: education for men, women and children, mental-health services, sexual / physical / emotional abuse social work and counselling services for children, young people and families, mentoring young people, family therapy, family reconciliation A Canterbury SSPA initiative, Right Service Right Time (RSRT) has been very active and has become involved in the development of the local Children’s Team. RSRT is a strategy that has developed over time to identify the best response for families, ensure necessary intervention takes place before children and families reach crisis point, coordinate the workflow to the social services and community sector and enhance families’ rights to information and choice. RSRT is a model of collective action among providers (NGO and government) to ensure a continuum of services is available – from early intervention services through to specialist services. The RSRT Alliance is comprised of 41 partners who are members or associate members of Social Service Providers Aotearoa from within the health, mental health and social service sectors. – Diverse evidence-based models: e.g. integrated strengthsbased; client-directed outcome-informed; community-led development

•

Collaboration occurs on a constant basis in all regions; members work together to improve outcomes for children and families and regional meetings reflect this joined-up effort. National office has collaborated with other peak bodies and Universities towards joint surveys, shared research, forums and joint seminars. Meetings with others in the sector involved with public health, child wellbeing and education have provided valuable intelligence sharing.

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•

Three newsletters (July and December 2013, March 2014) were published with contributions from Hon. Minister Paula Bennett, Children’s Commissioner Dr. Russell Wills and several member agencies and individuals.

•

SSPA continues to participate in the Advisory Group for the NGO Social Work Study Awards funded and administered by Family and Community Services (FACS). The intent of these awards is to help build the capability of people working in community-based social services. SSPA represents providers in the role of advising, overseeing and contributing to the planning of the awards process. As in previous years, SSPA participated in a sample audit to ensure integrity of selection for the 2014 Awards.

2. Consolidate the membership through supporting clarity of vision, purpose, practice standards and outcomes Best Practice Seminars •

• Of a total of 178 agencies which, accessed training and support from Best Practice Seminars, 42 were SSPA S396 and 136 were S403 member agencies. Other providers also attended the 14 seminars over this period, the total number of participants being 275. SSPA seminar themes have focused on methodologies that will improve outcomes for hard-to-reach clients; they were practice-based (Transactional Analysis, Practice Evaluation, Creative Arts Therapy, Theraplay); outcomes-based (Results Based Accountability, Collective Impact) and sectorbased (Streamlined Contracting, Reforms to Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act, Community Investment). Many seminars were run collaboratively among regions or with other peak bodies. All seminars were evaluated; the overall satisfaction rate was moderate to high. “I find this (Transactional Analysis Model) very helpful, useful and the training made it easy to start implementing”. “My new knowledge (Credit Contract and Consumer Finance Act) will certainly influence how we see our role as a public health unit when engaging in third tier lending issues” “Through this workshop I was able to see how I would be able to use this model (Collective Impact) within my community.” “Seeing the potential to improve attachment between parents and children with this approach (Theraplay)” “Learning to write a logic-statement is a valuable outcome (Practice Evaluation)” “Providers have benefitted by increased knowledge of tools for practice, community engagement and a framework to measure outcomes.”(SSPA report to MSD April 2014)

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Regional Meetings •

Regional meetings during 2013–2014 were arranged around members’ or other speakers’ presentations which contributed to discussion, learning and ideas for further development. These have been held regularly in most regions, particularly in Manawatu, Christchurch, Auckland, Northland, Southland and Wellington. Some meetings were joined with others (Strengthening Families) to provide a forum for sharing practice and business knowledge, updates on services. Members also provided representative voices in a wide variety of forums (e.g. Safer Christchurch, Social Service Tertiary training providers etc.)

SSPA 2013 Conference •

2013 saw SSPA work in partnership with Fostering Kids to hold a joint annual conference in Auckland 19 – 20 September 2013 with the theme: “Working Together Post the White Paper to achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable children and whanau”.

•

There were approximately 280 attendees; of these 134 were representatives of SSPA member agencies and CYFS.The choice of speakers and the reduced cost of attendance were pull factors. 7 keynote speakers including a cross-party political panel, and 19 workshops were video-filmed for posting on the website to benefit all our members with long-term access to these presentations.

•

170 Evaluations were received; 97% respondents expressed very high or high satisfaction with the conference programme and agreed that they had gained ideas to better perform in their role. Some comments best express highlights and disappointments of Conference 2013: “Keynote speakers were good. Excellent overall though some of the workshops were disappointing” “Ngahi (Bidois – Ancient Wisdom Modern Solutions) has made me think of a new direction in my life story, he is a major inspiration” “Bryan (Jeffery – MOAT: Why Do They Do That?) is amazing! Gives the material in a very accessible way” “Conference is a great idea but it is very corporate. Could not this money go more to the kids and more advocates for care givers?” “Delegate books with power points were marvellous, great idea”

CONFERENCE AS A WHOLE 2%

Satisfaction levels VERY HIGH – 107 HIGH – 56 LOW – 3

34% 64%

VERY LOW – 0

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3. Facilitate and enable opportunities for critical dialogue on key issues that concern Members, other providers, government and communities Dialogue •

SSPA has been able to facilitate member-engagement with officials of the Ministry of Social Development, Treasury, Office of the Children’s Commissioner, Children Action Plan Directorate, decision-makers and Members of Parliament.

•

Korero about the Children’s Team (CT) pilot in Rotorua was held with staff from Treasury and SSPA providers in the Rotorua, Hamilton and Whakatane areas in Rotorua on 20 March 2014. Providers were able to share their perception of the effectiveness of CT as a model and their expectations about how it will bring about change for vulnerable children and whanau. Treasury staff will use a summary of points to inform their work on Children’s Action Plan.

•

SSPA held a Political Panel series in Auckland (16 June 2014) and Wellington (17 June 2014) in the lead up to the elections seeking candidates specific policy on child and whanau well-being. These were attended by SSPA members and the wider public.

Surveys •

Online surveys to canvas members’ experience and views on key issues affecting tamariki have been done on the Vulnerable Children Bill and the Contributory Funding model of MSD. SSPA also contributed to network discussions on these issues and to a wider survey on the state of the sector for the forum of NGO agencies called ComVoices. These provided the evidential data for SSPA and joint-sector submissions.

Submissions The ability for SSPA and its members to enter into public debate and influence public policy cannot be overstated. Over 2013 – 2014 SSPA’s submissions and statements were timely and effective in the outcomes of the concerned legislation and policy that ultimately impact our tamariki and whanau. Vulnerable Children Bill SSPA worked with members’ survey responses to make a strong submission grounded in community experience. Two parts of the proposed Bill were commented on, Children Workforce Checking (Part 1, Subpart 3) and Removal of Subsequent Children (Part 3, Subpart 1). The written submission was also spoken to in face-to-face encounter of the National Manager, Chair and Executive Member with the Social Service Select Committee. The key points were: •

Recognition of local and regional experience of the issues at the heart of this debate, namely children’s vulnerability and the role of families, communities and state in protecting them and ensuring children’s well-being are noted.

•

There needs to be a Te Tiriti o Waitangi clause to ensure Tiriti principles are embedded in the Bill and are implemented across all Ministries involved in the ‘cross agency’ measures.

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•

The Bill is adequately resourced in order to fully realise its purpose, and ensure there is a balance of resources available for the non-regulatory measures that must work alongside the Bill in order to “promote the best interests of vulnerable children (having regard to the whole of their lives)”

•

Compliance costs for screening the entire children workforce is measured against expected returns in terms of child safety.

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Resources are invested in workforce capability and community education for abuse-prevention in proportion to the resources invested in workforce screening.

•

Recognition and consideration of the risks inherent in the removal of subsequent children amendments to the CYF Act especially in the legislative requirements placed on assessing social workers, the onus of proof of demonstrable change on parents, and the need to engage in behaviour change interventions in the interest of natural justice and redemptive hope for all human beings.

Sexual Violence Services Enquiry Several SSPA Members made written and oral submissions to the enquiry. The main points were: •

The high demand for services, e.g. counselling could be around 150% of capacity.

•

The financial burden to the New Zealand economy of the effects of Sexual Violence have been determined by Treasury to be the most expensive of any crime.

•

Best practice models of universal primary prevention, crisis response, early intervention, short and long term recovery using a systemic approach with highly skilled staff should be supported to address the safety and complexity of the issues.

Child of One Child of All – SSPA Election Statement SSPA released a position paper in order to engage with political leaders on strategic questions of social development and policies that will make a long-term difference for children, families and all vulnerable New Zealanders. This formed the basis for the political panels held over 2013 – 2014. The recommendations were: •

That policy-makers note and integrate the research and evidence into structural causes of vulnerability and invest in long-term holistic services.

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That tamariki be acknowledged within their nurturing context of whanau and community and policies that target children are made more realistic by targeting the children’s families.

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That MSD considers fully-funded services, using an investment approach to optimize and exponentially improve outcomes for vulnerable children and whanau.

•

That the collaborative and collective paradigm is fully captured in new initiatives and explored in existing ones.

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That community-led, ground-up programmes are enabled and supported as legitimate solutions to address vulnerable children and whanau.

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•

That the integrity and commitment of the social services sector is recognised along with the swathe of services provided at very affordable cost.

4. Develop and maintain an organisation responsive to change and open to explore new ideas, funding streams and long-term sustainability Governance By December 2013 The National Executive approved the 2014 - 2017 Strategic Plan and Operational Plan. The latter has been designed with an outcomes framework and will be the basis for reviewing SSPA progress over this time. National Executive meetings were held in September and December 2013, and February and June 2014. Guest speakers at these included politicians, public servants and leaders of peak bodies. Seven teleconferences between the face-to-face meetings assisted with business discussions and decisions. Partnership with Ministry of Social Development SSPA has engaged with the Hon. Minister Paula Bennett, Executives and staff of Family and Community Services and Child Youth and Family on a regular basis on social policy and practice issues. SSPA’s contractual obligations continue to be met with timely and satisfactory reporting and audit processes. Capability Investment Resource Funding was applied for and received in May 2013 for an assessment of SSPA national office capability. This will provide a valuable opportunity to review our organisational systems and identify key areas for improvement; these activities are planned for 2014 – 2015. Policies and Systems A process of review and revision of policies has commenced, with updated policies in the areas of Finance, National Executive Roles and Responsibilities and remits for amendments to Rules for approval at the AGM being completed. Accounting and Information, Communication and Technology systems have been improved with appropriate advisors in place. Other Partnerships SSPA’s partnership with GSB (now re-branded as N3) was extended with free membership for 2013–2014 providing SSPA the opportunity to assist our members to get the most out of group buying. Hopefully those who experienced savings will go on to join N3 themselves when the SSPA-wide free membership comes to an end. Engagement with Microsoft and TechSoup has provided us with free Microsoft licences to Office 365 and other software, as well as social media training, all contributing to a more responsive membershipbased organisation.

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FINANCIAL REPORTING SUMMARY1 For the year ended 30 June 2014 SUMMARY STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE 30 Jun 2014 30 Jun 2013 $ $ Fees and Services Income Government Contracts

38,601

55,355

156,477

156,477

Other Income

6,342

7,146

Total Income

201,420

218,978

Operating Expenses

36,321 50,939

Administrative Expenses

17,221

Business Activity

38,231

58,930

105,871

111,864

Employee Expenses, Wages & Salaries

24,653

Other Expenses

1,069

354

Total Expenses

198,713

246,740

Total Comprehensive Surplus / 2,707 (Deficit) for the year

(27,763)

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION Assets:

30 Jun 2014 30 Jun 2013 $ $

Bank



34,023 35,536

Accounts Receivable

1,091

7,061

Interest Accrued

1,442

1,378

Prepayments

1,770

-

38,326

43,975

2,504

2,008

Total Current Assets Non-Current Assets: Fixed Asset Investments Total Assets

165,126 158,963 205,956

204,946

Current Liabilities

60,799

62,496

Total Liabilities

60,799

62,496

145,157

142,450

Liabilities:

Net Assets Total Funds as at 1 July Total Comprehensive Surplus / (Deficit) for the year Total Accumulated Funds as at 30 June

142,450

170,213

2,707

(27,763)

145,157

142,450

1 T his financial statement summary has been extracted from the full audited financial report of Social Service Providers Aotearoa Inc. authorised for issue on 10 September 2014 by Grant Thornton New Zealand Limited. A copy of the full financial statement is available from SSPA National Manager [email protected]

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Social Service Providers Aotearoa Inc. Member Service Providers across 15 Regions

Northland 16

Bay of Plenty 5 Auckland 15 Waikato 9

South Auckland 15

Taranaki 4

Hawkes Bay 9

Manawatu 4 Wairarapa 2

Nelson/Blenheim 8

Wellington/Hutt Valley 22

West Coast 2 Canterbury 51

Otago 7

Southland 15

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Epworth House 75 Taranaki Street PO Box 9490 Marion Sqaure Wellington 6141

Tel: 04 808 0883 Email: [email protected] www.sspa.org.nz