Contracting and funding uncertainty continues
Our CEO, Belinda Himiona is continuing to hear from Te Pai Ora SSPA members about the impact the funding and budget cuts are having on their organisations, kaimahi and communities. In the last 72 hours alone, around 50 providers delivering frontline services for children and whānau in communities throughout Aotearoa have reached out to us detailing cuts. Some of these providers have lost their entire contract for services with Oranga Tamariki.
“There is shock and distress at the loss of these services, these decisions will leave vulnerable children and whānau without much-needed support and will result in qualified, committed staff losing their jobs,” says Belinda. “Sadly, we’re seeing cuts to services, but there isn’t a reduction in the need for support from children and whānau.”
Family Start is a programme that focuses across Aotearoa New Zealand on improving the growth and health, environment and safety of Tamariki under two. This week the national programme was told their budget would lose $14m in funding, equating to 107 full-time positions and 1600 children under the age of two not being seen.
Family Start Collective’s Dr Nicole Coupe and our own CEO Belinda Himiona were interviewed for 1News to share the impact this will have on communities throughout the motu. Check out the full story here.
Belinda was also interviewed this week during Morning Report on RNZ, you can listen to the full interview here - Charities told funding from Oranga Tamariki will be cut.
Earlier this week Belinda sent a message to the leaders of our member organisations asking for some information that can help us build our collective voice. If you did not receive this email but would like to share your information with us, please send us a message and we can forward it to you.
