RISE to work with ACC to find community-led solutions to prevent family violence

RISE has a significant new contract to work with the community to prevent family violence.

RISE is one of five organisations chosen nationally to take part in an innovative new ACC-funded scheme that focusses on addressing the root causes of family violence.

The contract will create the equivalent of 5.5 full-time new jobs at RISE and is worth more than $2m over three years.

RISE’s Impact Management Lead Leigh Manson says the partnership with ACC is exciting and a much-needed opportunity to work upstream to help break the cycle of intergenerational violence.

Prevention focuses on stopping family violence before it begins by promoting healthy relationships, teaching tools to deal with conflict, educating communities about the signs of abuse and challenging attitudes that perpetuate violence such as sexism, inequality and tolerance to abuse.

Research in New Zealand and internationally shows more work is needed to tackle the causes of family violence to successfully reduce its harmful and long-term consequences.

“Organisations have been working hard to prevent and reduce family violence for decades,” Leigh says.

“But the big shift is not happening because we are supporting victims and users of violence and not focusing on how we can prevent people becoming users of violence, and victims, in the first place.”

RISE has more than 38 years of history of working with men and their whānau to reduce or eliminate family violence and has chosen to work with men and their families for the ACC programme.

Leigh says family violence is a gendered issue and RISE wants to work with men as powerful allies and leaders in their communities who can challenge harmful behaviour, advocate for change, and model healthy, safer relationships.

Statistics clearly show that men are more often the primary users of family violence. Many forms of family violence are also rooted in harmful attitudes of masculinity, power and control. Partnering with men helps challenge these ideas and promotes healthier ideas of gender roles, gender equality and respectful relationships.

“Working with men and men’s groups to change the conditions that cause family violence aligns with proven strategies that engage men as part of the solution,” Leigh says.

More than 2000 men have engaged with RISE’s non-violence and dad’s programmes over the years and RISE consistently receives feedback from men that they want to do more.

RISE is one of five organisations chosen nationally to take part in an innovative new ACC-funded scheme that focusses on addressing the root causes of family violence. RISE will work with men as powerful allies and leaders in their communities who can challenge harmful behaviour.

“So, this is an opportunity to talk about what does more look like? How can we support the community to come up with ideas, design and pilot solutions, to try new things?” Leigh says. “It’s about us facilitating and creating a safe space where innovation can happen and is supported.”

The ACC contract will see RISE work across an area that includes Nelson, Marlborough, and Kaikōura.

RISE already works in these communities and has a strong understanding of their needs and networks. It has partnerships with MSD, The Department of Corrections, Oranga Tamariki, and the Ministry of Justice as well as local iwi and health, education and social services agencies. RISE has extensive local, regional and national networks.

“RISE will be using its established relationships, including 14 men’s groups, and collaborating with local iwi, other health and social providers and other community leaders in this programme to support the change we all want to see.”

RISE will also work closely with the ACC and the other organisations leading this work to learn from each other and work together. 

Leigh says RISE will not be delivering the change itself but will support the community to identify what it wants to do in family violence prevention. The programme will be completely community-led, which is a new and exciting way of working, Leigh says.

If you want to be part of this exciting kaupapa RISE would love to hear from you. Please email admin@rise.net.nz.