Barnardos end leaves 'gaping hole'

Barnardos is pulling out of the Bay of Plenty, leaving parents who need supervised contact for their children high and dry.
The changes affect services in Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatane.
Barnardos regional manager Glenys Knowles said the agency was saddened to leave the area after 16 years. The decision was made due to "sustainability" issues in funding the services.
The agency's early childhood home-based services have already been taken over by another provider, and the same looks likely for the child and family services.
But the withdrawal of the children's supervised contact service leaves a gaping hole, with no other provider in the Western Bay.
The service provides safe and supported contact for children with their non-custodial parent or family.
The closest service is in Hamilton, but Mrs Knowles said that was "not an option" for many families as it was too far.
Barnardos has written to families who used the services, which were based in Mount Maunganui, Matua and Greenpark.
The letter advised: "You will need to find an alternative option for supervised contact, and we suggest you contact your lawyer to discuss this."
Te Maunga mother Shirley Ryder is one of the 21 families affected by the axing of the service.
Her two children were able to spend time with their father in safety thanks to the service.
"There's nowhere else in the Bay of Plenty that provides this service, which means that people like me haven't got anywhere we can take our children where they are going to be safe. It's really bad news.
"If Barnardos isn't going to be able to provide this service, I think the government or someone has to step in and do something."
Tony Fisher, the Ministry of Justice's general manager of district courts, said the Ministry was aware of the current issues concerning supervised contact services in the Bay of Plenty.
The Ministry was working closely with Child Youth and Family to identify approved providers for them, he said.
"We are making good progress and anticipate having suitable new providers in place to ensure these services continue to be available.
"We will communicate any new arrangements to those concerned but anyone with any concerns should contact the court."
Barnardos' early childhood home-based services were taken over by Quality Kids a month ago.
Mrs Knowles said there had been a "smooth handover", with very little change for service users.
Barnardos was currently in negotiation with another provider in the hope it would take over the agency's family support and counselling service.
Barnardos was disappointed to leave the Bay, Mrs Knowles said.
"It's a very big thing. It's a really sad time for the staff, who are a hugely dedicated team of professionals in their respective fields in education and social welfare."
The cuts have affected 14 permanent staff and 12 casual staff across the Bay of Plenty, with most staff based in Tauranga and Rotorua.