Salvation Army deeply concerned by Government funding cuts

The Salvation Army is deeply concerned about Oranga Tamariki’s cancelling and reduction of contracts to social services providers. We will be keeping a close eye on the outcome of these changes in the communities we serve.

The Army is one of many providers with contracts cancelled or reduced in recent weeks. We are currently consulting with staff on a proposal that could see the removal of 18 roles, including social workers, practice leads, navigators and other frontline roles, which deal with highly complex cases.

“The Government cutting frontline services like this is worrying for us - both as a provider of social services and as an employer of highly skilled staff,” says Colonel Gerry Walker, Chief Secretary of The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory.

“We’ve seen reductions like this in the past to social service providers and we’ve seen the impact - it’s never good. We’re concerned that we will see a reduction in the health and wellbeing of whānau and an increase in care and protection orders. We’d like to be proven wrong but our experience, which goes back decades, tells us that you cannot reduce social services from experienced providers and not expect a reduction in the quality of care and support.”

Colonel Walker says social services are a sector where it takes time and effort to build trust with a community. Visible success comes when that trust is established.

“Social services are not a sector that you can exit in a hurry without causing harm to vulnerable whānau. The Salvation Army is extremely worried about the communities who will be left with little to no support.

“We share many of the Government’s goals. We want to see an Aotearoa New Zealand where all children are safe, loved and nurtured by whānau and supported by thriving communities. We wholeheartedly support a social services model that enables and empowers communities. But we do have questions around how the Government is going about this. And we will speak up because we’re an advocate for those who don’t have a voice.”

The Salvation Army will be looking at what frontline services and other data shows about the impact of the funding cuts to social services. We expect to see these impacts in the measurements we monitor in the annual State of the Nation report and other reporting.

There will always be a need for social services providers like The Salvation Army, says Colonel Walker.

“We will continue to partner with the Government in the social services sector, as well as other areas, and we will always be willing to work with them in whatever form that takes.”

The Salvation Army Territorial Media Officer, 021 945 337, email: media@salvationarmy.org.nz (The Media Officer responds to enquiries from media outlets and journalists. If you would like to donate, are in need of help, or have some other non-media-related enquiry, please call 0800 53 00 00.)