Whānau Ora providers show widening enthusiasm for whānau-centred services

The Whānau Ora Governance Group today announced that 25 provider/providers' collectives had been selected to develop and deliver whānau-centred services to families around the country.

Governance Group Chairman Rob Cooper said the Expressions of Interest received from provider/providers' collectives had been innovative and overwhelming. Provider proposals transform existing services to become integrated and whānau-driven. There were 130 proposals submitted involving 350 providers from around the country.

"Nearly 40% of all the Expressions of Interest were submitted on behalf of provider/provides' collectives – several with a national focus; many with support from iwi and hapū within their region; and a number of proposals from iwi-led collectives."

"Expressions of Interest were also received from Pacific organisations, refugee/migrant focused providers, specialised social service providers and disability providers, reflecting the widening enthusiasm across diverse communities for whānau-centred practice," he said.

Mr Cooper said the selected 25 provider/providers' collectives representing 158 provider organisations, had emerged from a process which involved funder checks, eligibility assessments and assessment from relevant Regional Leadership Groups: "I want to thank the Regional Leadership Groups for the extremely valuable contribution they made to the selection of these organisations; with the majority of their recommendations agreed to by the Governance Group."

Final decisions by the Governance Group reflect: the readiness to provide services; scale of operation; scope of service provision with a preference for providers or collectives able to offer a comprehensive range of services; and quality of proposal including history of service delivery, outcomes to be achieved, and the quality of relationships within a collective.

When considering submissions, Mr Cooper said the Whānau Ora Governance Group took account of larger scale collectives of providers, "...with an expectation that these would provide whānau-centred service delivery coverage for more significant numbers of people."

Te Taitokerau (Northland)

Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland)

Waikato (Hamilton)

Te moana ā toi (Bay of Plenty)

Te Arawa (Rotorua)

Te Tairawhiti (East Coast)

Takitimu (Hawkes Bay)

Te Tai Hauāuru (Whanganui)

Te Whanganui-ā-tara (Wellington)

Te waipounamu (South Island)

Each provider's POA will address infrastructure needs; workforce training and development needs; a process for integrating contracts; the development of an outcomes framework and an agreed action research, evaluation and monitoring plan.

Mr Cooper said a number of the providers identified within the collectives were very small in scale and scope; and the networks of service delivery across the collectives will take time to develop.

"The Programmes of Action will take this variation into account, overall however the 25 providers/collectives have emerged where there is clear need, high levels of aspiration and distinctive populations of interest."

He added that some locations still need to build provider relationships including: Kaipara; Hauraki; South Waikato; Taupo/Türangi; Palmerston North; Wairarapa; Levin/Kapiti Coast; and Invercargill.

"Development work with potential providers in these areas to build collectives will begin in 2011."