Inter-agency collaboration and information sharing to improve outcomes for families and children

Authors & Speakers

Jodine Lee (Senior Policy Adviser, Office of the Police Commissioner)
Susan Roberts (Senior Policy Adviser, Office of the Police Commissioner)
John Drew (Manager, Service Delivery Support, Department of Child Youth and Family)

Organisation

Representatives of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)

Increasingly, there has been a call for increased inter-agency collaboration and co-ordination related to family violence and child safety. This presentation will provide an overview of two pilot processes which New Zealand Police is managing in collaboration with other stakeholders. Both of these pilot processes have the objective of improving the outcomes for family violence victims and children in those families, through risk assessment tools, increased information sharing and collaborative decision-making.

The presentation will provide an overview of how the two pilots were developed and how they operate.

The first pilot discussed is the Family Violence Investigation Report ("the Pol400 pilot"). This pilot has involved more extensive investigation and risk assessment at the scene of a family violence incident. Notifications are made to CYFS where the risk assessment score meets a certain threshold or if the frontline Police staff has concerns for children's safety as a result of the incident. A two-tier system has developed for the sharing of information at the local level where all Pol400 incidents involving children are discussed and information is shared in order to make a joint decision about whether a notification is required. Evaluation findings will be presented in the context of the POL 400 pilot, which is monitoring repeat victimisation in the areas of the pilot.

The second pilot is the Family Safety Team joint initiative between Police, Ministry of Justice, Child Youth and Family, and is in collaboration with the NGO sector. It was announced in Budget 2004. The pilot involves the establishment of four teams at six different sites to provide a more integrated and multi-disciplinary approach to family violence. The teams include supervisors, police investigators, and adult and child victim advocates. The Auckland/Hamilton, Wairarapa/Hutt Valley and Christchurch teams will be up and running by August 2005, while the Counties Manukau team will start in July 2006.

The presentation will discuss how the teams work in each of the areas they have been established and what lessons have been learnt in the early days of the pilot.

Presentation

Paper

Biography

Jodine Lee is a Senior Policy Adviser in the Policy, Planning and Evaluation Group at the Office of the Commissioner, New Zealand Police. She joined Police in 2003 and has focussed on Family Violence and Youth policy. Jodine and Inspector Rob Veale developed the Family Violence Investigation Report pilot, with work beginning in 2002, commencing the Wanganui phase of the pilot in November 2004. Jodine has also been working with key agencies involved in the family safety team initiative, both from the government and non-government sector.