The New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse.

• Author: Anderson, Tracy

Abstract

The New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse is a centre for collating and disseminating information about family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand. It was created as part of the Te Rito New Zealand Family Violence Prevention Strategy. Materials held by the clearinghouse can be accessed or contributed online, at www.nzfvc.org.nz.

THE CLEARINGHOUSE

The New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse is a national centre for collating and disseminating information about family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand. Its purpose is to provide access to high-quality information for a wide range of users, including those working towards preventing and eliminating family violence. It was launched by the Minister for Social Development and Employment in July 2005.

The clearinghouse is the end result of an action identified in the Te Rito New Zealand Family Violence Prevention Strategy. The development of the Te Rito strategy has been well documented (Maynard and Wood 2002). The creation of the clearinghouse was a shorter journey than the overall Te Rito strategy, but no less challenging for those involved, both within and external to government.

The main challenge in developing the clearinghouse was the requirement that government engage in a formal contract with external parties, from what is fundamentally an informal and diverse sector. A description and analysis of the tender process for the clearinghouse, incorporating the views of non-governmental organisations and academics who were involved in the process, would make a useful and interesting paper, but one that has yet to be written. Nevertheless, the outcome of the process was the development of an information mechanism for the family violence sector (and interested others) to use in disseminating and accessing family violence information.

The Te Rito strategy recognises that family violence directly affects the wellbeing of families/whanau and the extent to which they can participate in society. The rationale behind the clearinghouse initiative, therefore, is that access to high-quality information is critical in ensuring family violence prevention strategies and initiatives are effective and achieve the greatest possible success.

One of the...