“Thank you for the opportunity to open the training induction workshop, which launches the Family Safety Team pilot initiative.

“The strength of this project is its integrated and collaborative approach. Family Safety Teams involve Justice, Police, CYF and, in the community sector, the National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges, Child Abuse Prevention Services, and the National Network of Stopping Violence Services.

“All these agencies have a common purpose but in the past have not sufficiently worked together and shared information to maximize their effectiveness. Family Safety Teams are about achieving the best possible coordination, communication and collaboration.”

JohnP: Some fathers experience this ‘common purpose’ as collusion, conspiracy and complicity, instead of the more cuddly words used in Goff’s speech.

“Women and children are mainly the victims of violence within families. Violence within families, however, is not limited to partner violence or child abuse. Elder abuse, violence towards parents by their children, and violence between siblings exists. Family Safety Teams will take a holistic approach addressing all of these issues. ”

JohnP: Holistic, that is except the category of violence that we never mention because we are in denial of its existence.

“The Ministry of Justice has been monitoring the working of the Domestic Violence Act since it came into force in 1995. It has concluded that the underlying policy of the Act is sound, it is well supported by stakeholders and only minor amendments are necessary. ”

JohnP: Fathers are obviously not considered ‘stakeholders’.

“In the pilot phase, $14.9 million has been invested in Family Safety Teams to help achieve these outcomes. ”
…

JohnP: Must be worth billions when they roll out the final phase.

“It aims to ensure families make greater use of existing services and assistance, such as protection orders, counselling, health, education, housing and income support services.”
…

“Early intervention is the key to effective prevention …

“Early intervention is necessary and effective at turning around behaviours that are likely to lead… before victims are created…

“Early intervention needs to be targeted, relatively intensive and ongoing. It requires a very high level of coordination of effort between government and community agencies. ”

JohnP: I guess ‘Early Intervention’ means ignoring the hard, scary cases which are embarassing to CYF when they go horribly wrong, and instead going after nice, law-abiding middle-class type of families who break some minor regulation in a poorly-trained social worker’s imagination.

Perhaps they’ll be coming for you…