Great news for children and families

"This is great news for children and families," says Barnardos New Zealand's Chief Executive Murray Edridge in response to the Government's decision to significantly boost funding for community-based organisations working with vulnerable families, children and young people.

"As an organisation with many years hands-on experience, we're only too aware of the constraints limited funding imposes on our ability to reach the needs of children and families in the community," said Murray Edridge, Chief Executive of Barnardos New Zealand.

"Guaranteed funding which meets the full cost of delivering agreed services, such as parenting and family violence programmes, and which is automatically adjusted each year to reflect both cost changes and agreed volume, is very welcome. Similarly, the recognition of the need to develop community workforce capacity is significant."

"It will enable us to reach more people in the community. All evidence, our extensive experience, and feedback from the children and families we work with, shows that working with families as early as possible to make changes for the benefit of their children is invaluable both in the short and long term."

"We really welcome the fact that the Government clearly views these programmes as an investment in our children and families and the future of New Zealand, rather than a cost to society."

Barnardos was also pleased to see the government move away from competitive funding to a funding approach which encourages non government agencies to work together.

"Although Barnardos actively works with other agencies in many areas already, we are aware that in some regions, past approaches to funding have created a competitive and duplicative rather than complementary approach to providing services for children and their families."

Today's announcement is not a quick fix but a sustained contribution to making a difference and as such we applaud the Government's vision and commitment to the funding of children and families.

ENDS

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