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The background to Puawaitahi
The Puawaitahi facility was established to investigate alleged abuse of children and young people, and to ensure that victims of abuse and their families can be helped to easily access the best possible services for follow-up treatment and support.
Puawaitahi brings key organisations under one roof, making abuse investigations and resulting treatment processes easier for families and their children. These agencies will be working under one roof for the first time,
Throughout the establishment period, Puawaitahi has liaised with community and will continue to develop strong linkages with other child abuse services. This will also provide opportunities for public education aimed at helping to prevent child abuse.
Starship National Children’s Hospital, Child Youth and Family and Police have been working together with the Auckland District Health Board, Starship Foundation and the wider Auckland community – to develop Puawaitahi
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Puawaitahi's kaupapa
Puawaitahi’s five key components are child protection services, health, police, mental health and therapeutic services.
As a result of bringing these components together Puawaitahi will help to:
- provide a ‘one stop shop’ for interviewing and assessing children and young people who are thought to have experienced abuse or neglect.
- provide coordinated case management, and reduce the risk that children and young people will ‘fall through the gaps’.
- ensure that families are enabled to receive appropriate support and advice
improve inter-sectoral communication and co-operation.
- reduce inefficiencies, duplications and omissions in service provision for abused and neglected children and young people.
- improve linkages to community providers of therapeutic services.
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Young People's Voices
For the past year a representative group called the Young People’s Voices advisory group has been involved with the development of Puawaitahi.
This small group have generously provided their ideas and insights on what really matters to young people and have helped us to create an environment that will be welcoming and non-threatening to children and young people who are going through a stressful time.
The young people on this advisory group have had direct input into the décor and artwork used in Puawaitahi.
It is hoped that there will be an ongoing process for young people to have advisory input into the operation of the Centre.
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How it will work
Children and young people who present with suspected abuse and neglect will receive several strands of intervention:
- Their safety and social circumstances will be assessed by the local Child, Youth and Family site office and action will be taken to ensure safety if required.
- Health needs will be assessed, and Te Puaruruhau Starship Children’s Hospital’s staff will manage treatment as appropriate.
- Specialist interviewing by Child, Youth and Family and Police staff (evidential or diagnostic assessment) to clarify and accurately record information from the children and young people.
- Assessment of mental health and limited crisis support by the Specialist Services and Health staff.
- Linkage back to appropriate community services. Counselling follow-up is available on referral to local community providers and ACC-funded counsellors.
- Police investigation and resolution will also be conducted or coordinated by the Auckland City District Police CIB Child Abuse Team.
Some children and young people will also need:
- Detailed 'diagnostic assessment' or “therapeutic needs assessment” that will be conducted by Child, Youth and Family’s Specialist Services staff at Puawaitahi.
- Formal evidential video interview conducted by the Police and Child, Youth and Family staff at Puawaitahi. (Another Evidential Video Unit (EVU) exists for South Auckland.)
- More extensive medical investigation and treatment, which may require admission conducted by Whakaruruhau in the Starship.
- Full acute mental health assessment and intervention. Clients will be referred on to appropriate services if this is needed.
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Success overseas
A multi-agency (or child advocacy) centre is an innovative concept in New Zealand but there are many such centres overseas and Puawaitahi is similar to several successful overseas models, adapted to meet Auckland’s requirements.
Centres like Puawaitahi were set up as far back as 1985, when one was established in Alabama, USA. There are several hundred such centres operating around that country, and a national organisation - the National Children’s Alliance which links them.
They are referred to as child advocacy centres in the US but many have their own particular name. Britain is also beginning to set up similar centres including one at Kings College Hospital in South London.
There is no one model for these centres – some are privately funded, some government funded, most have a combination of funding streams. Some are based in hospitals and some in the community. They may be in an office building or in a house.
But they all have a common focus, working within communities to improve and more effectively coordinate services and responses to child abuse.
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