Knowledge exchange for social service practitioners adapting to the covid-19 context

The covid-19 lockdown is challenging us to think about new ways to work with children and families.  On 2 April 2020 SSPA facilitated a knowledge exchange of how social services were adapting to this changed context.  Social workers and social service practitioners from a range of NGO and iwi social services attended the session faciliated by Associate Professor Emily Keddell.  The facilitated discussion was structured around four areas of practice adaptation.  This document provides an overview of all responses.  There is a brief overview paragraph summarising each area of adaptation, then the ideas from practitioners.  Read it here

Information and insights provided by member organisations of SSPA, April 2020

Families and communities are facing significant challenges in daily life as a result of New Zealand being placed at Alert Level 4, with all except some essential workers being required to remain at home. Social service providers are working in new ways to support families thorough this time. This Snapshot highlights what some SSPA members have told us they are seeing amongst the families they are working to support and how they are responding.

read it here

March 2020 - read the latest news from SSPA detailing an upcoming open space meeting for SSPA members via zoom.  You'll also find details about workshop and event cancellations.  However there's the chance to share your ideas and brainstorm how to provide services if face to face contact becomes impossible via a zoom brainstorm session.  Read more here

March 2020 - Good piece on One News about the continuing problem for NGOs arising from inadequate funding to pay competitive wages.  We're looking for a boost to funding in the 2020 Budget as a step towards sorting this out.  Minister Carmel Sepuloni is quoted in the piece referring to work being done on the best way to fund social services.  Really pleased she has commissioned this much-needed work and pleased to be involved with it - but it is explicitly NOT looking at the level of funding needed.  Hence my focus on the Government addressing that in the Budget.  Big thanks to Judy Matai'a at ATWC and to Andy Pilbrow at Birthright Hawkes Bay and their collegues who also featured.  The real life stories make a difference.