TANGATA WHENUA SOCIAL WORKERS ASSOCIATION FORMED (Waatea News, Nov 20,2009)
Maori social workers have formed their own association.
About 100 of the country's 1000 Maori social workers gathered at Pukaki Marae in Mangere day to launch Tangata Whenua Social Workers Association.
Kaumatua Taotahi Pihama says the group will support Maori working for mainstream and iwi providers, and help train new kaimahi to operate effectively with Maori whanau.
He says it will build on work done by previous generations since the first Maori graduate social worker, John Rangihau, in the 1950s.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Fostering review looking in wrong place for touble
FOSTERING REVIEW LOOKING IN WRONG PLACE FOR TROUBLE (Waatea News, 17 Nov 2009).
A veteran Maori social worker says a review of foster care needs to take a Maori way of seeing the world.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has asked whether children placed with extended family are better off than those fostered outside the family, in light of high re-abuse rates for children in whanau care.
But Malcolm Peri, who was involved in the maatua whangai programmes of the 1980s which championed whanau-based care, says Ms Bennett's department has squeezed the kaupapa Maori aspects out of its work with children.
“I can't remember any real effort in the last 20 years the system has put in place to to strengthen Maori families from te ao Maori and I don’t think they give us credit for things Maori have progressed, for the families have been placed with families and have been healed,” Mr Peri says.
He says abandoning Maori programmes would mean going back to failed assimilation policies.
A veteran Maori social worker says a review of foster care needs to take a Maori way of seeing the world.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has asked whether children placed with extended family are better off than those fostered outside the family, in light of high re-abuse rates for children in whanau care.
But Malcolm Peri, who was involved in the maatua whangai programmes of the 1980s which championed whanau-based care, says Ms Bennett's department has squeezed the kaupapa Maori aspects out of its work with children.
“I can't remember any real effort in the last 20 years the system has put in place to to strengthen Maori families from te ao Maori and I don’t think they give us credit for things Maori have progressed, for the families have been placed with families and have been healed,” Mr Peri says.
He says abandoning Maori programmes would mean going back to failed assimilation policies.
Friday, November 13, 2009
New Zealand Government showing interest in Maori-style social services
Govt showing interest in Maori-style social services by Simon Collins, NZ Herald Sat Nov 14, 2009
A radical reshaping of all social services could be imminent if the Government goes ahead with a Maori Party plan to reform services for Maori.
National Party ministers appear to implicitly support Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia's plan to bundle multiple contracts for Maori health, education, housing, justice and social services into integrated "Whanau Ora" contracts covering the whole spectrum of services for regional groups of Maori whanau.
A key worker would be appointed for each family under contracts giving Maori agencies wide scope to co-ordinate support for each family, rather than measuring numbers of doctor's visits and hours of social work, for example.
The plan is inspired by longstanding Maori ambitions for self-determination.
But if it goes ahead, it may be impossible to confine it to Maori families because Maori are now enmeshed in wider New Zealand society. About half the 565,000 people who identified themselves as "Maori" in the 2006 Census also identified with at least one other ethnic group, and half partnered Maori were living with non-Maori partners.
Virtually all the country's 270 Maori health providers, and all 11 Maori-led primary healthcare organisations (PHOs) which have formed a coalition to bid for a Whanau Ora contract, have non-Maori as well as Maori clients.
Mrs Turia said the idea "can be utilised across any ethnic group".
"We are starting with the Maori sector because they are the ones who have constantly raised this with me since I have been in Parliament," she said.
"All we are doing is moving it to that sector and eventually it would move to others as well. The Pacific Island people and the ethnic migrant groups are very keen on this concept because they understand the role of the extended family.
"People get trapped in having to work in a Eurocentric way with their people and they shouldn't have to be."
Submissions on a discussion paper on Whanau Ora close on November 30, and a taskforce led by Professor Mason Durie is to present final proposals to ministers by the end of January.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Tony Ryall last week named the Maori PHO coalition as one of nine consortiums to submit detailed plans by February 15 for new integrated primary healthcare services which may include Whanau Ora proposals.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has also approved a "high-trust" funding trial, bundling all her ministry's contracts into one at Te Tohu o te Ora o Ngati Awa (Ngati Awa Social and Health Services) in Whakatane and at a Catholic youth service in Christchurch.
A radical reshaping of all social services could be imminent if the Government goes ahead with a Maori Party plan to reform services for Maori.
National Party ministers appear to implicitly support Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia's plan to bundle multiple contracts for Maori health, education, housing, justice and social services into integrated "Whanau Ora" contracts covering the whole spectrum of services for regional groups of Maori whanau.
A key worker would be appointed for each family under contracts giving Maori agencies wide scope to co-ordinate support for each family, rather than measuring numbers of doctor's visits and hours of social work, for example.
The plan is inspired by longstanding Maori ambitions for self-determination.
But if it goes ahead, it may be impossible to confine it to Maori families because Maori are now enmeshed in wider New Zealand society. About half the 565,000 people who identified themselves as "Maori" in the 2006 Census also identified with at least one other ethnic group, and half partnered Maori were living with non-Maori partners.
Virtually all the country's 270 Maori health providers, and all 11 Maori-led primary healthcare organisations (PHOs) which have formed a coalition to bid for a Whanau Ora contract, have non-Maori as well as Maori clients.
Mrs Turia said the idea "can be utilised across any ethnic group".
"We are starting with the Maori sector because they are the ones who have constantly raised this with me since I have been in Parliament," she said.
"All we are doing is moving it to that sector and eventually it would move to others as well. The Pacific Island people and the ethnic migrant groups are very keen on this concept because they understand the role of the extended family.
"People get trapped in having to work in a Eurocentric way with their people and they shouldn't have to be."
Submissions on a discussion paper on Whanau Ora close on November 30, and a taskforce led by Professor Mason Durie is to present final proposals to ministers by the end of January.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Tony Ryall last week named the Maori PHO coalition as one of nine consortiums to submit detailed plans by February 15 for new integrated primary healthcare services which may include Whanau Ora proposals.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has also approved a "high-trust" funding trial, bundling all her ministry's contracts into one at Te Tohu o te Ora o Ngati Awa (Ngati Awa Social and Health Services) in Whakatane and at a Catholic youth service in Christchurch.
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