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Presbyterian Support New Zealand

Synopsis

This report discusses the historical and current relationship between Presbyterian Support and the Presbyterian Church. It provides an overview of the size and nature of the work of Presbyterian Support through nationally collated data and discusses two key issues facing Presbyterian Support; the impact of ageing in place and the reality of hardship and stress amongst New Zealand families.

Report

1. Presbyterian Support New Zealand

1.1 Presbyterian Support New Zealand is the new name for the national association of Presbyterian Support organisations. During the last year the seven Presbyterian Support organisations agreed to and registered a new constitution and rules for the incorporated society. This provides a revised framework for coordinating the work of the seven regional organisations. A new position of National Executive Officer (NEO) has been created and the Rev Bonnie Robinson appointed.

2. Presbyterian Support and the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand.

2.1 Presbyterian Support is part of the Presbyterian movement within Aotearoa New Zealand. Presbyterian Support and the Presbyterian Church share a common history and ethos and this informs and shapes our work.

2.2 Today we are linked with the Presbyterian Church through Presbyterian appointees on the boards of the seven Presbyterian Support organisations, volunteers, and parish, Presbytery and Presbyterian Support joint activities.

2.3 Presbyterians who serve on the boards of Presbyterian Support organisations have an important role as our boards set the policies that provide the framework for all of our service delivery. In assisting us to find suitable people to take up these leadership positions the Presbyterian Church plays an important part in both the present and the future direction of Presbyterian Support.

2.4 Presbyterian Support was established nearly 100 years ago by caring and socially aware Presbyterians. This continues today in the voluntary work of Presbyterian congregations and their members. Volunteers are to be found in all areas of our work, but most especially in our residential care services, our child and youth programmes and our Op Shops.

2.5 Presbyterian Support organisations are continuing to grow positive links with the church by exploring methods to usefully connect with Presbyteries, including regular meetings with Presbytery social action/concern groups, and visits by trustees and staff to Presbyteries and parishes. In addition building better links with the Assembly office is a goal of Presbyterian Support New Zealand.

3. A profile of our services

3.1 Presbyterian Support is one of the largest non-governmental providers of a range of social services in New Zealand. We are active in a wide variety of service areas including services for older people, children, youth and family programmes, services for younger adults with disabilities, employment programmes, research and advocacy. Below we provide a national summary of the work of Presbyterian Support over the past twelve months.

4. Services for the Older Person

Total Residential Beds - 2546

Annual Expenditure - $53,217,501.00

5. Services for Children and Families

Total Clients - 31,058

** Social Workers in Schools, Day Care, Holiday Programmes and Community Welfare

Total expenditure on Child and Family Services - $13,082,655.00

6. Disability Services

Total Expenditure - $1,383,069.00

7. Sources of Income

8. Issues in service delivery

8.1 Aging in Place and the Care of Older People

8.1.1 Presbyterian Support has been providing residential care for older people for over half a century. Historically it has been our largest investment in terms of finances, buildings and people and today we spend $53 millionannually on this and other services for older people. This area of service delivery has been under going significant change over the past fifteen years. Much of this change has been initiated by Government, and Presbyterian Support has had to adapt to the changing political and policy environment.

8.1.2 The days when an older person 'put their name down' at the local Presbyterian Rest Home and waited for a place to come up are gone. Today the way people access residential care has changed. Capital subsidies that subsidized the cost of buildings were replaced in the late 1980s by a subsidy for individual residents. Complexities have been introduced through asset testing and the raising of the barrier in terms of assessment. People who have sufficient private funds to pay for their own care are required to do so, those who do not have sufficient funds are eligible for the Government subsidy, but only if they have been assessed as needing residential care. People may enter a rest home without assessment and pay privately but they and their service provider run the risk of not receiving any payment if the private funds run out, and a subsequent assessment finds they are not eligible for care.

8.1.3 Over the past few years the dependency level, or amount of assistance an older person requires before they are eligible to enter residential care, has risen significantly. This means that many people who might once have been living in a rest home are now living in the community. Over 94% of people aged over 65 live in the community.

8.1.4 This trend, called 'ageing in place' is positive. Research shows that the majority of older people want to live independently in their own home and community for as long as possible. As an organisation we support ageing in place, however we are concerned that the funding provided by Government for home support services has not kept pace with the increased level of demand for this service. There are also gaps in what support is available, and this can put pressure on older people and on their families and carers.

8.1.5 To try and address these issues Presbyterian Support is working with the Ministry of Health on a new way of providing sustainable support services. Pilot services in Hamilton and Dunedin are working through contractual and service delivery boundaries, so that we can provide flexible responsive services that put the needs of the older person first. This pilot programme is just getting underway and Presbyterian Support is hopeful that it will create a way forward for all service providers. Long term, if ageing in place is to become a positive reality, services like these need to move beyond pilots into long term contracts that allow organisations to plan, and they must be adequately funded. Presbyterian Support will continue to liaise with government about these issues.

8.2 Hardship and stress amongst families

8.2.1 Presbyterian Support witnesses hardship and stress amongst families first hand at its foodbanks and child and family services. Increases in food costs over the past year have put even more pressure on already stretched incomes. The Otago University Health and Nutrition Study states that to be healthy the minimum a 3 person (1 adult and 2 children) household needs to spend on food is $140 per week. On average three person households coming to foodbanks have an after rent income of between $170 and $240 per week. This residual income must meet all other bills including food, power, medical, transport, education, and clothing. Often these families simply do not have enough income to afford adequate healthy food.

"The kids have suffered. I try to do whatever I can for them like sports. I've got one boy just starting music this year and it is really tight, it makes it very tight. If he doesn't have music he will just end up on the streets as just another statistic. Why shouldn't he be allowed to play sport or go and play music which he really likes? It makes it real hard and because of the stressing the household you do take it out on your children and I think that's where it stems from with children - you know that have got behavioural problems. Its not their fault their parents are struggling you know?" (Belinda's story - From How much is enough? A report by Presbyterian Support Otago on life below the poverty line in Dunedin)

8.2.2 Worrying about where the next meal or the rent will come from is stressful. It puts additional pressure on families who may already be struggling with other difficulties such as chronic health conditions, addictions, domestic violence, or sexual abuse. Our child and family services see many families who love their kids, but who find it difficult to cope with them when their own lives are one of constant struggle. Through mentoring programmes, family counselling, social work support, and alternative or respite care for children, Presbyterian Support builds on the strengths within the family and works with them to find new and better ways of relating. Presbyterian Support joins with other Christian social services agencies through the NZ Council of Christian Social Services to document the hardship we see, and liaise with Government about the systemic causes of poverty and stress. Presbyterian Support is also increasingly undertaking its own research and policy development work in this area so that we can shift our focus to prevention and become part of the solution for those in need.

8.3 Plenty of need - prayer and support required

8.3.1 Presbyterian Support organisations experience the needs of their communities and have the skills and abilities to assist in making positive and lasting differences in people's lives.

8.3.2 We are restricted in our activities largely through lack of financial resources. Fundraising is more and more difficult and competitive. Funding from Government and donor sources is often static or declining. Presbyterian Support needs the prayerful, the practical and the financial support of church members.

8.3.3 In New Zealand Presbyterians have been social leaders, showing the way forward by caring for people and seeking change in systems and structures where this is required. Presbyterian Support looks forward to continuing this Presbyterian tradition in the coming year. We will be actively seeking opportunities to work with the Church on joint issues and programmes so that "Together we can make a Difference."

Ruth Houghton

Chairperson

Council of Presbyterian Support New Zealand

Bonne Robinson

National Executive Officer

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