Service cut 'tragic' for at risk youth

Funding for family violence prevention programmes for Hawke's Bay children and young people has been cut.
The change comes as crime statistics for last year show family violence offences were up by 19 per cent in the Eastern district.
It means fewer children will learn how to deal with violent and difficult situations, DOVE Hawke's Bay manager Caroline Lampp said.
The family violence education and prevention organisation has been told more than $200,000 would be slashed from its Government funding from June 30.
"It is a tragedy that funding is to be stopped for preventative work within our community," Mrs Lampp said.
"Just when we appear to be making some progress with family violence reporting and the community stepping up to take responsibility, it all gets wiped away."
The cuts, which represent 20 per cent of the organisation's budget, were being made by the Ministry of Social Development to fund the new Family-Centred Service Fund and four other funds.
Organisations could apply to the new fund to run the affected programmes for another year, but there was a limit on how much DOVE could apply for. The cuts affected education programmes, but not the services offered to families through the court system. "It's as if the fence at the top of the cliff is being dismantled and we are going back to waiting for people to fall over the edge before we send out the ambulance to pick them up," Mrs Lampp said.
Eastern District police family violence co-ordinator Senior Sergeant Chris Bunyan said the cuts could make it harder to administer a programme linking police with organisations such as DOVE and Women's Refuge. "It's going to be a lot more difficult to co-ordinate those processes. The risk that follows is that some essential services may not reach the families most in need."
Mrs Lampp said some of the programmes being cut worked to raise awareness about family violence and give young people strategies for dealing with violence. "At a time when schools are increasingly asking for help to address bullying and violence the very funding that was enabling us to assist with that has been withdrawn."
Some programmes would have to be cut or reduced, while others might continue with higher costs for schools.
William Colenso College principal Daniel Murfitt said the DOVE programmes had given students better ways of dealing with difficult situations.
The school was committed to supporting its students and families to make good decisions, but would not be able to continue the programme if there was a cost.
"Our operations funding is quite limited," Mr Murfitt said. "We just don't have the surplus to run every programme we would like to."
Napier-based Labour list MP Stuart Nash said DOVE had proven itself capable and professional, but funding may instead go to an organisation without a track record.
"It makes no sense," Mr Nash said. "We need to get to young people before violence has a hold. These funding cuts take away a lot of what is needed in our communities at this time."
Tukituki MP Craig Foss said the total funding targeting family violence would be unchanged, but funding channels would change. "There may be some re-organisation to try to get the best outcome from the funding available." he said.