Longstanding partnership drives strategic transformation at NZ's second-oldest charity
Home & Family, New Zealand's second-oldest charity, has been using evidence and data to transform how it delivers services to vulnerable children and their whānau across Canterbury.
The organisation, established in 1898 as the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, provides early intervention and wrap-around support to pēpi, tamariki, rangatahi and their parents/caregivers and whānau, and operates across multiple sectors including family violence prevention, parenting support, youth mentoring, therapy services and work with the New Zealand Family Courts.
Chief Executive Val Carter says that taking a deep dive into their data has been pivotal in gaining insights and strengthening the organisation’s impact within the community. "The Good Measure reports allow you to really look at your data and understand where you best add impact. It was a great opportunity for us to evaluate what we did, how we did it and what benefit and impact it made within the community."
The organisation's initial Good Measure report in 2022 focused on their parenting services at the time. "The social return on investment that came out of our first Good Measure report showed that for every dollar invested in Home & Family's programmes, the community benefited by $2.40. This was a really positive outcome, but it also gave us the opportunity to think about what we were delivering and how we delivered it. This resulted in significant changes to the way that we deliver services, particularly parenting services, to our community.”
In 2023, the organisation implemented SafeCare, a structured early intervention parenting programme originating in the United States. Home & Family is currently the only provider of this programme in New Zealand.
Programme Manager Hamish Mepham says the initiative represents a shift from a generic social work approach to targeted, evidence-based interventions. "The development of SafeCare was informed by how the Good Measure report demonstrated our impact with the community. We wanted something to be effective but have some really good research evidence behind it to say why it was effective.”
SafeCare uses a skill-based curriculum that builds on the knowledge, experience and existing strengths of a parent/caregiver. Through initial baseline assessments, a parent’s initial skill set is identified, with this information used to inform how to deliver the training in remaining sessions. SafeCare participant Josh says: “The SafeCare programme's taught me a lot. I think I've come a long way from what I did know to now. Without Hamish being in the picture when he came in, I don't think I would be where I am now. I don’t think I would probably still have my boys.”
A follow-up Good Measure assessment conducted in 2024 revealed the programme's significant long-term benefits, particularly for children. Ms Carter says: "For us, the most interesting and motivating figure was that the social value for children who participated in our SafeCare programme was over $17,000 over their lifetime. This represents the long-term benefits that targeted, evidence-based early intervention can provide – not just immediate support, but lasting positive outcomes that follow children into adulthood.
“We work with about 900 to 1,000 people impacted by family violence, and when we talk about one person, it's also all of the extended whānau that sit behind that one referral."
The transformation has been supported through a long-standing partnership with Rātā Foundation, spanning over 20 years, with the Good Measure reports undertaken through the Strengthening the Sector Programme. "Rātā invited us initially to undergo the Good Measure report so we could review what we were doing, if it was working and what could be done to improve our support. Rātā has been a core catalyst into us being able to be more effective with what we do. It is that real trusting relationship that we've been able to build and maintain over the years that has been so vital for our organisation.”
Rātā Foundation Head of Community Investment Kate Sclater says: “At Rātā, we value our relationship with Home & Family who have a solid foundation of social impact in the Canterbury region. This partnership is based on the strong alignment of a shared vision to empower families and whānau to thrive, and a shared commitment to continually strive to learn and evolve, to improve outcomes for future generations. For us success is when organisations take learning and use it to improve programmes and services for the people they support.”
Recently Home & Family moved into a new facility in Opawa, bringing all operations under one roof for the first time, including the team of 20 to 25 permanent staff and volunteers. The building includes Kōmanawa, meaning ‘Oasis’, a dedicated client space designed specifically for children and their whānau. "Kōmanawa is our client space and it's going to be set up really to be child friendly. The majority of the clients who will be using the space will be children and their whānau, so we've wanted to make it as welcoming as possible.
“Next for Home & Family is really settling into our new space and building on the opportunities that we've been able to enjoy through our partnership with Rātā to really strive to provide the best possible service for our community.”