26 June 2006
Answer to Abuse - better funding for non-governmental social service agencies
The Family First Lobby is calling on the government, in the wake of the Kahui murders and the call for greater
prevention of child abuse, to invest in the thousands of organisations working in the community on a daily basis.
“These are organizations at the ‘top of the cliff’ doing a fantastic job, working day in day out with families at risk
with practical help including budgeting, parenting skills, and education, yet are struggling to survive because of
financial constraints,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of the Family First Lobby. Mr McCoskrie is a legal advisor
for a number of charitable trusts, and is Board Chairman and founder of a trust working with at-risk youth in South
Auckland.
“Too often these charitable organisations, who are working tirelessly with families who are at-risk, are surviving only
through constant applications to gaming trusts and private donations,” says Mr McCoskrie. “The availability and
effectiveness of these organisations’ services is affected by this constant need to fundraise, and they are at the whim
and mercy of the gaming and charitable funding organisations as to how much they can budget on working with each year.”
“This is unacceptable!” says Bob McCoskrie. “Non-governmental organisations like Parents Inc, HIPPY Foundation, Homes
of Hope in the Bay of Plenty, Crosspower Ministries and Houhanga Rongo in Otara, Stepping Stone Trust in Christchurch,
and many many others throughout NZ are struggling to meet the demand. They are competing with each other for the
gambling and alcohol Trust dollar. This all takes their focus off their core work – of preventing more cases like the
Kahui’s.”
“Yet the government can find $3m to get Tana Umaga to tell parents to read to their kids. Community based organisations
are already doing this – more effectively, and over many years.”
“Governmental organisations like CYF cannot cope with the breakdown of family in NZ. It is time we funded community
based organisations to a level where they can met the demand.”
“Whether they are in line with current government ideology is irrelevant. They need our support because they’re part of
our community response to the shame of child abuse in NZ.”
ENDS