Patchwork Issue 5: August 2009
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Expanding Network
The Department of Corrections has joined the AucklandYouth Support Network (AYSN). This group oversees the Improving Outcomes for Young People Action Plan implemented to deal with an increase in youth criminal incidents in 2006.
Astrid Kalders, the Northern Regional Manager for Community Probation and Psychological Services (CPPS) says, “we are committed to working with agencies and where it makes sense or works in the community's best interest, we want to pool resources to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of how we work. By having, representation in a network that aims to improve outcomes for young people helps us to do that.”
Kalders says that the corrections offender base is 17 and over, although they do have offenders aged from 14 years up when they are charged with very serious offending. They manage offenders across the full range of sentences and orders imposed by the Courts and the NZ Parole Board.
Kalders says “by working together with agencies committed to reducing these numbers, means we can share our information about what works with offenders, and talk through issues and solutions that many of us in AYSN may face.”
Magazine targets gangs
Tearaway magazine speaks to young people who have moved away from gangs and crime.
Go to www.tearaway.net.nz for the latest digital magazine.
Tearaway is a youth magazine distributed to over 50,000 secondary school students in New Zealand.
Stories from the Streets
Henry is a fourteen-year-old New Zealand born Samoan, and the youngest of seven brothers and sisters. He often looks after his sick mother when his father is away.
Taking the wrong path
Easily influenced by older brothers and gang friends, Henry starts to break into cars, into homes and assault people. Due to ongoing truancy and problems at school, Henry also finds himself expelled from college.
Intervention
Junior Tui, a youth worker with C4C and Tamaki Ki Raro says, “when I first met Henry he did not speak openly, he looked down and acted “staunch”. He told me that after he had offended several times he was uplifted from home and placed in Youth Justice North. Henry told me “after spending time away from home he vowed never to return to that s#%t hole again.”
Henry is ordered by the court to attend Connections 4 Change (C4C), a youth offending programme provided by Tamaki Ki Raro.
The steps to make the change
Junior Tui, his C4C youth worker spends considerable time with Henry, talking to him about positive choices and getting him involved with sport community events and youth groups. Tui says he has made connections with positive pacific males in the community who have challenged his thinking. “When Henry is around positive Pacific Island men he can see them in a real and different ‘light’. He has found out that being Polynesian doesn’t mean that you have to be the ‘tough guy’ or be in a “gang. Henry now has ideas about how he wants his future to look.”
The challenges: It has not been easy for Henry to make the decision to leave behind his brothers and gang life. Over the past six months, Henry has to come across many “cross roads” and is up to him to make his own decisions on which road to take. Many times his old friends and his brothers come to his home to mock him or tempt him back to his old ways.
The positive difference: Henry is now in an alternative education school in Manukau City. Henry enjoys maths and is catching up on the work he has missed at school, so he can follow his ambition to work with computers. Henry is being well supported by friends and some of his family and is working hard to complete his community service. He hopes to move out of the area and live with his auntie. Henry has seen that it is okay to be “yourself”, to have fun, to work hard and to be positive.
Article contributed by Junior Tui, Youth Worker for Tamaki Ki Raro Trust.
Supporting young people in schools
Sixteen social workers are now working in 13 Counties Manukau Schools under the Multi Agency Support Services in Secondary Schools initiative (MASSiS). The Child Youth & Family initiative is delivered through community providers who work closely with their community and schools.
Patchwork recently caught up with Bill Peace from Tamaki Ki Raro Trust to hear more about MASSiS in Mangere.
What is MASSiS? “They are social workers who work with young people and their families. By being based in the school, the social workers are easily accessible by the deans, teachers support services and students.”
How many social workers are there? “Out of the 16 social workers, Tamaki Ki Raro has eight social workers working in five schools in Mangere and Otahuhu area.”
What do they do? “Each social worker deals with multiple issues, including gang association, family violence, mental health issues, drugs, abuse, and self harm. Currently, we are seeing a lot of truancy and family finance issues. Social workers also run school group programmes depending on the school’s specific need.”
How do you work with the schools? “From the very beginning, we work with the schools, even involving them in the interview/selection of the social worker. We have regular meetings with the schools, and the social workers link into the school’s own student support group.”
What else does Tamaki Ki Raro do? “As Tamaki Ki Raro Trust is a youth focused and family centred provider, we also have youth workers, youth programmes whanau support and budget advice services and a second chance youth education programme that the social worker can access. We work hard to ensure there is an effective referral process, so we compliment rather than duplicate those services that are already available in Mangere.” For more information, visit www.tamakikiraro.co.nz.
New Pacific People Patrol in Manurewa
The Manurewa Pacific Crimewatch Patrol was launched in June at a colourful ceremony in Manurewa. The patrol consists of 80 Pacific volunteers who will patrol town centres, residential areas, parks, schools and car parks and report suspicious activities, crimes in progress, and unsafe environments to the New Zealand Police and other agencies.
All members received training by local police officers and members of the well-established Manurewa Crimewatch Patrol on how to communicate with the police, use a radio, and record and report incidents.
Manukau Mayor Len Brown is delighted to see Manurewa’s Pacific community standing behind the police in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhood. “Projects like this are reflective of the true Manurewa and not the stereotype we hear about in the media too often.
“We all know community safety cannot be resolved by the Police or judges alone. The most important aspect of community safety is the involvement of the community and this is important in our fight against crime”.
The patrol has received funding from the Ministry of Justice. Manukau City Council and Counties Manukau Police are also supporting the project. More than 200 representatives from the police, council, government agencies and the Pacific community attended the launch to wish the patrol members well. Article by Manukau City Council
The Pacific Wardens initiative is one of the actions instigated by the Auckland Youth Support Network to deal with community concerns about safety and criminal incidents in Manurewa.
| Crisis | Improving Outcomes for Young People in Manukau and Otahuhu Action Plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Actions | Results | |
| Set up police youth action teams to respond to youth gang incidents in Counties Manukau. | Three teams of six operating in Otahuhu, Otara, Mangere, Papatoetoe, Howick, Pakuranga, Clendon, Beachlands and Manurewa | |
| Increase out of hours youth worker support Police stations. | This was a temporary measure implemented until reception centres were established | |
| Provide facility for short-term supported placement for at risk young people picked up out of work. | Three reception centres have been established in Hillsborough, Pakuranga and Manurewa. As at 31/12/08 – 768 youth placed with average stay now over 5 days. | |
| Provide improved centralised police facilities. | New Police station opened. | |
| Strengthen Youth Offending Teams (YOT) across Auckland, with initial focus on Counties Manukau | Manukau City Council received a two year contract from September 2007 to host and manage this position.Role adjusted to administrative support. | |
| Intervention | Design and implement Integrated Case Management (ICM). | Model implemented with six positions introduced through providers. Manurewa Maori Women’s Welfare League (3), Genesis Youth Trust (1), Tamaki ki Raro (2) |
| Enhance capability of Child, Youth & Family youth justice services and the Family Group Conference Process. | New approach and new structure implemented nationally. | |
| Strengthen Police responsiveness to youth through linking with Maori wardens. | Protocols and processes in placeincluding the identification and patrolling of hotspots. | |
| Develop A delivery model for Police to respond to Pacific youth including Pacifica wardens. | Roles and powers clarified with governance arrangements put in place. Patrols operating Avondale and Manurewa | |
| Implement and review the Turn Your Life Around (TYLA) programme in Counties Manukau. | Review undertaken. TYLA established in Otara in 2008. Target number of 30 met in 2008. Target number of youth for 2009 to be met at the beginning of Term 2 2009. | |
| Review the Genesis programme. | Programme reviewed and links established. | |
| Assess the effectiveness of the Male Youth New Directions programme. | Programme reviewed and ongoing funding committed. Targets 14 – 17 yr olds with crime reduction a major outcome. | |
| Implement the New Zealand Police Alcohol Action Plan 2006. | Plan implemented nationally based on identified best practice operating in Counties Manukau. | |
| .Evaluate adequacy and coverage of drug and alcohol services for young people in Counties Manukau. | Review completed. ‘Stand Up’ drug and alcohol service introduced into 17 secondary schools. | |
| Prevention | Extend Family Start Services to Papakura and Mangere. | Now operating in Mangere and Papakura, with appox 400 families accessing the service. |
| Evaluate the provision of Social Workers in Counties Manukau. | A further three SWiS positions established within 3 primary schools, and 16 full time Social Workers contracted through NGOs delivering to 13 secondary schools | |
| Introduce social and health assessments for Year 9 students. | CMDHB have developed an assessment tool and completed 16,000 Year 9 assessments with follows up by appropriate agencies. A school based health service is operating in 17 Secondary Schools | |
| Improve reporting and management of truancy. | National system implemented. | |
| Expand Youth Transitions Services to Counties Manukau. | Youth Transition Services expanded across Counties Manukau. | |
| Evaluate provision of family support services in Counties Manukau. | Report completed identifying priorities/gaps for Young People and Family Violence services and a collaborative action plan developed. | |
| Assess coverage and adequacy of budgeting services. | Budgeting services reviewed. Service identified as essential service. All Budgeting services received at least 50% of their baseline funding as additional funding. | |
| Provide Police Education Officers to schools (Years 7-13). | Now named ‘Cops in Schools’, 5 officers based across 10 secondary schools. | |
| Increase the number of community-based youth workers in Counties Manukau & wider Auckland. | Contracts in place for 23 Youth Workers covering required areas.Otara 274(8), Genesis Youth Trust (5), II Much Trust (2), Tamaki ki Raro (6), Manurewa Maori Women’s Welfare League (2) | |
| Establish dialogue with young people and identify their priorities for action. | Report completed and released. Presentations delivered to AYSN and youth providers. Uploaded onto MYD and Youthline websites. | |
| Identify youth support service gaps across Counties Manukau for future action. | Stock take of services completed. Published in the Manukau Community Report 2007. | |
| Programmes to support parents and caregivers of school-aged children and teenagers. | Five Parenting programmes in place delivered by Otara Boards Forum, Genesis Youth Trust, Ohomairangi Trust, II MUCH Trust, and Auckland Cook Island. | |
A wall mural painted by Randwick Park School students
II MUCH Trust Youth Worker Petia Wilson worked with 14 students from Year 7 and 8 identified for tagging and non-compliant behaviour in the school and community. Throughout the 12-week project, Petia Wilson talked to the students about how tagging and vandalism affects a community, constructive art and their aspirations for future study and work.
Strengthening Connections
Seventy frontline staff involved in the “Improving Outcomes for Young People in Counties Manukau and Otahuhu Action Plan” attended a Forum on 18 June 2009.
Sarah McGhee, of the Ministry of Youth Development says, “Over the past three years there has been a staggered roll out of initiatives in the Action plan and it was timely to bring everyone together in one space.”
The purpose of the forum was to strengthen connections between different services and enhance workers’ knowledge of resources available for the young people they work with. The forum was specifically targeted at those working under the Action Plan.
“The driver for the forum came from providers indicating a desire to know who else was working with youth gangs through the 26 point action plan,” said McGhee.
At the forum, there was a strong response from participants supporting the need for regular opportunities to connect like this and perhaps include others working with young people in Counties Manukau. Some feedback from forum participants included, “awesome… we should do this again… great idea, keep developing it...and valuable learnings.”
On behalf of AYSN, the forum was developed by the Ministry of Youth Development, Manukau City Council Youthline, Te Puni Kokiri, Ministry of Education, Nga Wahine Atawhai o Matukutureia and Clendon II Much Trust, with the support of Family & Community Services.
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