Welfare agencies helped

Press, 2 August 1983, Page 27

Welfare agencies helped

PA Wellington Women’s and family refuges will recieve $190,000 a year as part of a package of help for voluntary welfare agencies. The Minister of Social Welfare, Mr Young, said the grant would be given to the National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges and would go toward the salaries of the co-ordinators of New Zealand’s 27 refuges. The national collective had been offered the money on the condition that refuges receiving a grant

offer counselling services for entire families — the abused partner, the children and the abuser.

“As well, I will expect the refuges to maintain a close liaison with voluntary and professional agencies involved in the prevention of child abuse and the support of the family unit,” Mr Young said.

Other Government support for agencies including another $1.2 million a year for the child care programme includes a thorough revision of the present subsidy programme.

The emergency fund to support voluntary agencies will be increased by $200,000 to $300,000 a year. A salary subsidy programme of $130,000 a year will be set up ’ for houseparents in homes for street kids, and other subsidies totalling $65,000 a year will help fund the salaries of the field officers and hearing assistants of the New Zeland Association for the Deaf.

The salary subsidy programmes for preventive work with children and the disabled will be changed to

include assistance for organisations using voluntary staff but needing to pay supervisors. Five more Social Welfare Department staff will train budget advisory volunteers, who will receive a total of $lBO,OOO a year in assistance.

The children’s home capitataion subsidy will increased from $43 to $49 a week, for each child, and the disabled children’s capitation subsidy will rise from $65 to $74 a week. Both increases took effect from July. 1