Shine and PSN join forces against domestic abuse

The specialist domestic abuse charity, Shine, and Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN), one of the country’s largest social service providers, are joining forces to better address the scourge of domestic abuse in New Zealand.

Jane Drumm, Shine’s Executive Director, says both organisations believe that more can be achieved by working together to increase the safety and wellbeing of families experiencing abuse across the PSN service area.

“By combining our efforts, we’re looking to improve service delivery with a range of targeted interventions that can make a bigger difference where it counts most – in the lives of people who are suffering abuse.”

Shine and PSN will bring together demonstrated domestic abuse expertise, training, frameworks and tools with the infrastructural capacity able to support the implementation of consistent, high quality domestic abuse service provision.

The CEO of PSN, Dr Rod Watts, says that this significant development aims to harness the combined expertise of two organisations to be far better equiped to provide expert and effective domestic abuse services across the Upper North Island.

“Domestic abuse affects far too many people in our society today. By improving our ability to intervene and support, we’re looking to improve outcomes and help establish safer and happier homes.”

The merger will take effect on 1 July this year, and means Shine will become a distinct service division of PSN, alongside other PSN service divisions — Family Works and Enliven.

As a division of PSN, Shine will retain its name and brand and continue to specialise in domestic abuse services, training and advocacy.

Together, PSN and Shine will offer a range of services to adults, children and families experiencing (or perpetrating) domestic abuse. These include crisis advocacy for adults and children, refuge accommodation, client educative programmes, stopping violence programmes, social work, medium term counselling, budgeting and emergency food support.

The combined organisations will be better able to research and provide comprehensive information on trends, results, and client data, and the efficacy of new models of practice within the PSN service area.

“Through the merger, PSN provides increased capacity to extend and further develop Shine’s corporate and sector workforce training in domestic abuse,” says Drumm.

Both PSN and Shine are highly credible organisations with histories of achieving excellent and measureable outcomes.

About Shine
Shine (Safer Homes In New Zealand Everyday Trust) was established 25 years ago, and is New Zealand’s single largest specialist domestic abuse service provider. As well as advocacy and direct help for victims of domestic abuse, Shine also runs a stopping violence programme for men, the KIDshine programme to help children to stay safe and heal, women’s refuges and transition housing, a national domestic abuse Helpline, and training for professionals to respond effectively to victims of domestic abuse.

About PSN
PSN has a history of more than 130 years, and is one New Zealand’s largest social service providers with approximately 900 staff. PSN’s service area is the most heavily populated part of the country, with 11 service centres stretching from the top of the North Island down to Taupo. PSN has a formal relationship with a further six Presbyterian Services organisations, covering all of New Zealand. Through the Presbyterian Services network and Family Works National, Shine has the potential for national reach in the future.

Shine and PSN have had a formal partnership since 2011, which has engendered strong mutual trust and respect, with the merger considered a natural progression of the relationship.

ENDS

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