Unprecedented demand from sex abuse victims for ACC support: 'It makes you want to cry'

A news report from RNZ by Hamish Cardwell

There has been an almost 400 percent increase in unsuccessful attempts by sex abuse victims to get mental health support through ACC over the past 15 months.
In that time survivors have tried more than 10,000 times to get help but were rejected.
Those who manage to secure a booking face waitlist times that have more than doubled.
ACC says it comes down to a lack of capacity among its sensitive claims mental health service suppliers.

Services at capacity - 'It's so disheartening'
Earlier this year Wellington woman Cassandra Saunders made the tough decision to seek mental health treatment for historical sexual abuse.
She contacted every mental health supplier and multiple individual therapists on ACC's accredited list for the capital - dozens and dozens in all - and got rejection after rejection.
"[They said] 'no we don't have space, no we don't have anything'. It makes you want to cry because it's just so disheartening knowing that even if you want help there's no one out there that can because their load's already too big."
Saunders said it looked like her best option was on a waitlist for an appointment up to a year away, or sooner at a different provider if she was willing to have a trainee psychologist sit in.
She did finally manage to wrangle an appointment - though lockdown put paid to it.
Wellington Rape Crisis general manager Kyla Rayner said demand was unprecedented.
"It's at the highest that we've ever seen in the history of our organisation. I've been in this role five years and the agency itself has been around over 40." 

Grim stats show system 'failing' survivors
ACC's national waitlist figures indicate that failed attempts by sex abuse survivors to get mental health help increased by 387 percent and reaching 4131 in the most recent quarter from 847, 15 months ago.
Sexual assault survivors' calls to suppliers to try and get mental health support were rejected more than 10,000 times in the past 12 months due to lack of capacity.
Many sensitive claim mental health support suppliers simply do not have room on their books to take more people on.
In fact, referrals were declined 2.8 times more often than clients were actually placed onto waitlists.
Weighted average national wait times have more than doubled in a year to more than 9 weeks, from 4.3 weeks.
Waitlist times are far longer in some places. In the three months to May average waitlist times stretched up to 25 weeks in Lower Hutt, 22 in Nelson, and 20 in Masterton.
The size of waitlists have also grown. The number of spots claimed by people has more than doubled, up 124 percent in the past 15 months - from 656 to 1473.
Green Party ACC spokesperson Jan Logie said delays compound the harm to survivors.
"Flashbacks, nightmares, terrors, really struggling to keep functioning.
"And to get to that point and then [survivors having] to make call after call after call to [suppliers and they say] 'sorry ... can't help'.
"It's an absolute failure of our system." 

ACC has doubled therapist numbers, but demand skyrocketing
ACC said the figures are a snapshot provided by services as part of a quarterly survey, and do not include people who get immediate treatment and avoid waitlists altogether.
Only a third of suppliers offer a waitlist.
The numbers also represent attempts to get access to services, not individual cases, and people likely make many attempts for support from multiple providers.
ACC said annual sensitive claims have more than doubled in five years to nearly 13,000, jumping 20 percent each year since 2014.
It has more than doubled the number of sensitive claims therapists in that time to 1990, with nearly 500 coming onboard in the past three years. It has also made it easier and faster for suppliers to bring on new therapists.
Despite all this, ACC said it has not been able to close the gap between supply and demand.
"Media coverage, the #metoo movement, the Royal Commission of Inquiry in Abuse in Care investigation, societal trends, and awareness-raising prevention campaigns are changing attitudes towards sexual violence, which we believe is resulting in more survivors of sexual violence feeling they can seek help."
Rayner from Rape Crisis said while New Zealand has high rates of sexual and domestic abuse, attitudes have also changed.
"In some ways it's kind of positive to see that so many people are coming forward because that's the reality of the prevalence of this harm in our society. The problem is now we're trying to catch up."
But Logie said ACC has known about the problems for years and has simply failed to take responsibility.
College of Clinical Psychologists executive advisor Paul Skirrow said the increase in therapists touted by ACC might not tell the whole story.
The mental toll on clinicians from working with sexual assault survivors meant many only worked part time, he said.
"There's actually ACC guidance that says that you shouldn't spend more than 50 percent of your time doing this kind of work. So we're talking about a number there but that might be a very small number of appointments available that it might translate to."
ACC said all survivors were entitled to 14 hours of one-on-one therapy, and 40 hours of other support after an initial assessment while they were having their claim analysed for possible full, long-term cover.
Those in crisis could get support from the wider mental health system, it said.

Where to get help:
NZ Police
Victim Support 0800 842 846
Rape Crisis 0800 88 33 00
Rape Prevention Education
Empowerment Trust
HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): be 04 801 6655 - 0
Safe to talk: a 24/7 confidential helpline for survivors, support people and those with harmful sexual behaviour: 0800044334.
Mosaic - Tiaki Tangata Peer support for males who have experienced trauma and sexual abuse: 0800 94 22 94
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

© 2021 Radio New Zealand

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/452523/unprecedented-demand-from-sex-abuse-victims-for-acc-support-it-makes-you-want-to-cry

Counselling wait lists worsen as sexual violence claims spike

An article from The Manawatu Standard by Georgia Forrester.

Social services are  under strain as more people seek support for incidents of sexual violence.
Abuse and Rape Crisis Support Manawatu (ARCS) manager Ann Kent said the service was at capacity and had extended its hours in Palmerston North and Horowhenua, yet it still hadn't made a dent in its waiting list.
There was a two-to-three-month waiting list at ARCS for its counselling services.
The number of Manawatū people claiming ACC support for sexual violence cases had also spiked in the past year.
Figures released by ACC show there was a 24.2 per cent spike in claims made in the Manawatū District in the past financial year.
People who have experienced sexual abuse or sexual assault can lodge a sensitive claim with ACC and seek cover and entitlements for treatment, rehabilitation and compensation.
The number of sensitive claims made in Palmerston North increased by 16.3 per cent between 2015/16 and 2016/17.
Manawatū District claim costs reached $930,000 in the past year, with $2.5 million in costs paid to claims in Palmerston North.
Palmerston North was just below the national increase, which was up 16.5 per cent.
ACC redesigned its sensitive claim service in 2014 to improve accessibility,  but figures between 2012 and 2017 show a gradual increase in claims in the Manawatū area.
Kent said the ACC system was great,  but the current demand on counselling services was challenging and they were not able to keep up.
"I'm not aware of any agencies that are not experiencing an extra demand."
In an ideal world, counselling services would be offered to people there and then, but it was not realistic, she said.
During the nearly 10 years Kent had been a manager at the service, she had seen staff and client numbers jump.
Client numbers for counselling had remained steady in the past two years, but that was due to services already being at capacity, she said.
The service had expanded over time to keep up with demand, but there was no more funding available for further expansion.
Kent was unable to say whether there had been any increase in incidents of sexual violence.
"We believe that a lot of the increase is due to people being prepared to come forward to get support rather than keep silent about the abuse that they have experienced."
Police figures show reports of sexual assault and related offending tended to fluctuate monthly in the Central District.
There were 553 reports made in 2016 in the Central District, which includes Manawatū, Whanganui and Taranaki.
So far there had been 270 reports in the first six months of 2017.
Although there had not been a national campaign against sexual violence specifically, Kent said the 'It's Not OK' domestic violence campaign likely benefited the cause.
About 40 per cent of cases of violence between partners also involved sexual violence, she said.
Although there was a waiting list, Kent said social work services were still offered to people in the meantime. She encouraged people to come forward and use the services.
"What we don't want is for people to feel alone in this. We don't want them to feel completely isolated."
Green Party spokeswoman Jan Logie understood the pressure services were under, as some organisations had already raised concerns with her about heavy staff case loads.
Research showed only about one in 10 victims of sexual violence were reported.
"What we are seeing at the moment is still the tip of the iceberg."
However Logie said two-to-three-month waiting lists were too long.
A person may have waited 20 years before the trauma became too much and they finally sought help from a service. Those people needed help there and then.
Although preventative work was under way, there was still a lot of work to be done, she said.
A free national sexual violence helpline is scheduled to go live to the public on December 1, rolled out by the Ministry of Social Development.

© 2017 Fairfax New Zealand Ltd

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/97663396/counselling-wait-lists-worsen-as-sexual-violence-claims-spike

Being a victim is not illness

An article from the Herald on Sunday by Tess Nichol

Requirements for sexual attack survivors to be diagnosed with a mental health illness to get ongoing taxpayer funded counselling could be reviewed, ACC Minister Nikki Kaye has revealed.
Green Party MP Jan Logie will tomorrow lead a demonstration at ACC's Auckland office protesting the current process, which requires survivors receive a mental injury diagnosis before their claim for further assistance can be approved.
Up to 14 hours of one-on-one therapy is available when someone lodges a sensitive claim with ACC, along with up to 10 hours of social work support. Up to 20 hours of whanau support are also available immediately.
After these are used, ACC decides whether to approve cover for further support, should the person need it. That included victims needing to be diagnosed with a mental health injury relating to the abuse.
"We believe that survivors of sexual abuse should be able to get all the help they need without the requirement of being diagnosed with a mental illness," Logie said. "The advocates are very clear that it is still acting as a barrier, [that] the consequences are harmful and that it's unhelpful."
Logie said she had been told of survivors who had to retell painful details of their abuse to people they had not previously met so they could get the mental health diagnosis they needed to keep seeing their therapist, a process they described as traumatic and revictimising.
Kaye told the Herald on Sunday she believed the system was supportive of survivors. But the minister said she would meet providers this week to discuss possible changes to the scheme. That would include looking at different ways to assess mental harm to victims.
"I'm really keen to work with providers and opposition parties to see if there is a better way [of doing things]."
Kaye said a "mental injury diagnosis" could be provided by any ACC registered and appropriately qualified assessor, which in many cases is the client's counsellor.
"If the assessor is someone different, the client's counsellor can be with them throughout the process, including during the assessment to ensure they feel safe and supported, and can provide background information to the assessor beforehand if the client doesn't wish to speak about some things again."
Changes were made in 2009 to the way support was accessed through ACC by sexual violence survivors, bringing in the requirement for a mental injury diagnosis in order to access help. After a 2010 review of the scheme and consultation with those working in the sector, further changes were made so survivors could have immediate access to support.
Since the review, ACC has been working with providers to improve the care of sexual assault survivors, something Kaye said had been hugely successful.
"We've come a long way [since 2009]," she said. "ACC has given me feedback that a lot of providers have been quite positive about the new service. But that doesn't mean that we can't do better."

© 2016 NZME Publishing Limited

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11646773

Sexual violence services – the real story

A blog post by Jan Logie

What has really led to the Government’s changing stance on funding for sexual violence services?
People have been congratulating me on this news yesterday and I have to admit working with the sector through this process has given meaning to my time in Parliament and I am proud of the work we have done on this.  I am a bit embarrassed by the congratulations in the context of the thousands of submissions and years and years of work by incredible advocates which really got the result.
While I’ll need to see the dollars in the budget, and hear that the Government is working closely with the specialist providers, especially Nga Kaitiaki Mauri, to design the new model before I relax, I do want to reflect on the journey to this point.
The 70s and 80s saw women coming together to voluntarily support women who had experienced sexual violence. The Government provided some funding from the mid 80s. There was a period of new general services, the Pacific Island Women’s Project, and kaupapa Maori services being set up to respond to the growing need. These groups were advocating for the prevention of sexual violence – law reform and social change as well as supporting victim/survivors. It wasn’t until the mid 90s that we had the first ethnic women’s organisation, Shakti and in the late 90s the Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust set up. There are still obvious gaps.
ACC alongside MSD were the major funders for sexual violence support services. The services were always under-valued and certainly not recognised for the amazing life-saving and at times world leading responses to sexual violence that they were and are. Sexual violence has been one of those very difficult topics to talk about in any context so that always made the services a bit of an easy target for funding cuts.
Despite Maori women being more likely to experience sexual violence in New Zealand and kaupapa Maori approaches being far more successful we have lost almost all of our specialist kaupapa Maori sexual violence services. There was a time when there were over twenty services but now there are fewer than five.
The Taskforce for Action was initiated by Labour in the wake of public horror about Louise Nicholas’s experiences. Louise did not have access to the right help, from our justice system or social services, when she needed it and that is one of the reasons she has been so actively advocating for increased funding for years.
The Taskforce for Action came out in 2009 calling for a national prevention plan and proper resourcing of the sexual violence sectors, basically all the same things that the select committee has recommended again 6 years later.
Maori and non-Maori specialists gave hundreds of hours of their time, voluntarily, in the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence. They spent hours and hours strategizing and organising and lobbying to try and ensure that victim/survivors had access to the services they needed. If this had been implemented there would have been no need for the select committee inquiry.
But even while the National party Minister for Justice called the Taskforce for Action the best road map the country had ever had for addressing sexual violence, the Government was in the process of gutting ACC support for victim/survivors. The Government told ACC that they had to make savings. In 2009 they saved $3.2billion dollars by going after, amongst other things, the “low hanging fruit” of sensitive claims. These changes resulted in a 36% decline the number of claims being lodged and even more shockingly the number of accepted claims going from 60% to 3.6% in just two years. Specialist agencies stopped using ACC because they thought it was unsafe for survivors and the number of ACC counsellors halved. During the inquiry into sexual violence funding we heard from a man whose partner had killed herself because she couldn’t get the support she needed over this time.
Many therapists and counsellors and volunteers just kept going, under increasing strain themselves, because they knew that people were depending on them. This was a truly awful time in New Zealand’s history.
Public concern over these changes forced Minister Nick Smith to initiate a review in 2010.The Disley report in 2010 made fourteen recommendations to fix the mess. Considerable effort has been made since then by ACC, the community and others to try and restore ACC. In the select committee report much has been made of the improvements to ACC. A new model is in place and it is much better but we are still not there yet.
Ahead of the budget and future work, I just want to celebrate the bloody minded tenacity of survivors and advocates who have kept going through this very dismal time. I genuinely and wholeheartedly hope the Government doesn’t let us all down again.

© 1996-2015 The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

https://blog.greens.org.nz/2016/04/01/sexual-violence-services-the-real-story/

Sexual abuse drives hundreds of kids to ACC

An article from Newshub by Emily Cooper

Families are being told to ask more questions of their children following the release of disturbing new statistics. Newshub can reveal that in the last 12 months, the number of children under the age of 15 seeking ACC services for sexual abuse has reached more than 800.
Maggy Tai Rakena of sexual violence support group START says kids need to be questioned.
"We don't want to jump to conclusions when there's distress showing, because it could just be that the cat died, or grandma's sick or something," says Ms Rakena.
"But it's a prompt to ask more. Children do talk about this stuff."
Ms Rakena says 90 percent of offenders are known to the victim.
"Their loyalties are torn; there can be some nice sides about the relationship, but also if it's your mum or your grandma or your dad or your uncle, and people that your parents love and trust, it's really hard to speak up," she told Newshub.
"The story about 'stranger danger' and the one odd person that drags a kid away from the school gate is so rare, so unusual."
Seventy-two kids under four had sensitive claims through ACC.

Copyright © 2016 MediaWorks TV

http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/sexual-abuse-drives-hundreds-of-kids-to-acc-2016031006

ACC sex abuse claims double in five years

An article from Newshub by Emily Cooper

More sexual abuse and sexual assault victims are reaching out for help under ACC's sensitive claims services.
Figures released to Newshub under the Official Information Act show claims have nearly doubled in the past six years. In 2010, 3674 people lodged a claim compared to 6946 people last year. Those seeking counselling services have also almost doubled.
ACC Minister Nikki Kaye says it's down to changes made around the handling of sensitive claims. "Previously it was hard, it was quite an insensitive process," she says.
Victim advocate Louise Nicholas says the rise is also likely down to more people speaking out against sexual violence and the stigma around people speaking out being lifted.
Over the past three years, ACC has had to re-think the sensitive claims process and worked with survivors of abuse, advocates and therapists to make the process easier. ACC also scrapped the top up fee that victims previously had to pay for counselling services and a new support package was also announced this time last year.
Ms Kaye says $100 million will be spent over the next six years to give people better access to counsellors.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/acc-sex-abuse-claims-double-in-five-years-2016030218

Copyright © 2016 MediaWorks TV

ACC overhauls sexual abuse care service

A news report from Radio New Zealand News by Michael Cropp

The Accident Compensation Corporation has overhauled its sensitive claims service, with its minister saying it made big mistakes in the way it dealt with victims of sexual assaults.
Before 2009, ACC accepted thousands of sensitive claims, but after changes to the system that number plummeted, and in 2011 just 135 claims were accepted.
Survivors' advocate Louise Nicholas said the impact when ACC clamped down on the numbers of claims it accepted was devastating and in some cases victims committed suicide. Support workers no longer wanted to be part of the system, she said.
"We lost hundreds upon hundreds of counsellors who refused to work in such an inhumane system," she said.
"We lost survivors, and I mean literally, lost survivors. So people just backed right off and said 'we don't want a part of this'."
Ms Nicholas had been a member of a panel that worked to overhaul what she said was a highly bureaucratic process which re-traumatised sexual assault survivors and denied them the help they needed. Many struggled with ACC forms asking them what kind of accident they had had - while constant assessments to qualify for assistance wore people down.

More support
Under the new service, that is set to change. There will be a support package for people who have suffered sexual abuse or assault, access to therapy is free and people are covered for longer. People are also able to enter and exit the system for support at any time. As well as the person who was sexually assaulted or abused, family and whānau are also able to seek help free of charge. The form, too, has changed to reflect the sensitivities of the situation.
ACC strategy manager for sexual violence, Emma Powell, said the changes required a big re-think of how ACC dealt with clients.
"It's a tailored response and a tailored approach, trying to put as much control back into the hands of our clients."
The client is able to choose who they see and if things were not working out the Sensitive Claims team would arrange an alternative.
"We talk about the fact that the counsellor-and-client relationship is critical to success, so if it's not working we need to offer ways that people can seek other supports," she said.
The public issues Chair for the NZ Association of Psychotherapists, Kyle MacDonald, worked with sensitive claims clients and helped advise ACC on the changes. He said the new system was much more sympathetic to a survivor's needs.
"I think that ACC have engaged really willingly in the process of recognising that actually the system wasn't working and that they needed to fix it," he said. "they have essentially redesigned a services which looks to address a lot of the concerns raised [in 2012]."
ACC Minister Nikki Kaye, said the old system was not working, and she wanted people to know it had changed.
"There's a lot of work to do, both around how do we prevent these things from happening, but then how do we make sure people are cared for right throughout government," she said.
The Minister said the changes were just the start of a much bigger process, which she hoped would provide better care for survivors and help prevent the violence from happening.

* If you, or someone you know, is affected by sexual violence you can find out more about these services at ACC Find Support site or call the ACC sensitive claims team on 0800 735 566.

© 2015 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/267591/acc-overhauls-sexual-abuse-care-service

More ACC support to help address sexual violence

A press release from the National Party

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye welcomes ACC’s new support package for people who’ve experienced sexual abuse or assault.
“It’s clear to me ACC has listened to feedback from clients, families, counsellors and others, and their input is reflected in the more flexible, wider range of support now being offered,” says Ms Kaye.
“ACC has come a long way in the last few years and I’m encouraged things are heading in the right direction.
“The new approach is not just about helping individuals but families too, who are also impacted if a loved one is sexually abused or assaulted.”
Improvements under the new service include:

• more holistic support – as well as one-to-one therapy, people can now access new support such as family and whānau sessions, social work support and liaison with other agencies to obtain assistance that can help recovery
• more hours of support for those who need it – up to around 60 hours of total short-term support, and up to around 100 hours of further support over 12 months, if required, for people with longer-term needs
• more flexible support - making it easier to enter, exit and return to assistance at any time
• new purpose-built claim form, which reflects the sensitivities of the situation.

“The new service is also fully funded by ACC. This means service providers cannot charge clients a co-payment, which will help more people access help when they need it.
“I’m pleased to confirm that on top of this, ACC will invest more in preventing sexual violence, from around $1 million to $4 million in the coming year.
“This extra support and injury prevention funding links into the wider government strategy, led by Ministers Adams and Tolley, to address sexual and family violence and encourage cultural change.
“It can be difficult sometimes for people to come forward and get help, so I encourage anyone affected by sexual violence to see what help is available.”
For more information, see the new website findsupport.co.nz.

© 2014 New Zealand National Party

https://www.national.org.nz/news/news/media-releases/detail/2015/03/02/more-acc-support-to-help-address-sexual-violence

ACC launches new recovery service for clients

A press release from ACC

ACC is formally launching its new Integrated Services for Sensitive Claims or ISSC. The service has been underway since November 2014 and provides people who have experienced sexual violence with safe and flexible access to a range of support, assessment and treatment services.
The launch is being held at Te Wharewaka, 15 Jervois Quay, Wellington and will commence at 5pm.
“The service has been significantly improved and re-designed to ensure it’s more client-centric,” says Emma Powell, Strategy Manager Sexual Violence at ACC.
“We listened, acknowledged the issues, engaged with providers, key agencies and made considerable changes based on sector and, most importantly, our clients’ advice,” Ms Powell says.
The launch is intended to raise awareness of the service and the changes that have been made.
Some of the significant differences for clients are:

• ACC is fully funding the service so clients will not be asked to provide a co-payment as in the past
• A greater focus on holistic support and treatment and tailored plans to help clients achieve their individual outcomes
• A new tailor made claim form
• Clients can access the findsupport.co.nz website for information about ISSC, sensitive claims and to find a service provider in their area
• Flexibility in treatment planning – plans can be agreed for up to 12 months.

“There is immediate support available and clients have a range of services they may access depending on their needs. For example, one-to-one counselling, family and whanau sessions, cultural support and group therapy,” Ms Powell says.
The new service has a greater focus on maintaining wellbeing. Following treatment, clients can have up to four sessions per year for up to three years pre-approved and access these directly as needed.
“ACC is committed long-term to this service and will continue to work with the sector and further grow the relationships that have been built up. ACC is committed to understanding the experience of our clients and to ensure we continue to develop the service, improve the service and get it right,” says Ms Powell.

© 2015 ACC

http://www.acc.co.nz/news/WPC137493

Changes to ACC sensitive claims and Ministry of Justice funding

An article from Counselling Aotearoa News by Irene E M Paton

There have been significant changes in the services offered by both of these major third party funders. The Government has moved to a model of having a ‘supplier’ who holds the contract and contracts with ‘providers’ to do the work.
With ACC, there are a number of NZAC members who have been granted a supplier contract. These can be found on www.findsupport.co.nz. This explains about the new process and for more detailed information go to: www.acc.co.nz/for-providers/integrated-services-for-sensitive-claims/index.htm.  It offers a lot more services to clients (social work, family/whanau, group work) and more support for providers (cultural advice and active liaison).
I think it will be more respectful of clients as the supplier can choose who will do the assessments and the counsellor is paid to attend the sessions with the client if necessary. There is more of a sense of working together as a team in the best interests of the client’s healing and growth.
Unfortunately the previous funding for couples who needed support to rebuild or repair their relationships (Section 9s and 10s) has been withdrawn.
Now the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has developed a new system whereby couples who want to make parenting agreements have to go through a process called Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) before they are able to take the matter to Court.
There are exceptions to attending FDR where the parties are unsuitable for the mediation process.  Couples under the threshold can have government funding for the FDR process and there are two main suppliers - Fairway and Family Support. They also need to attend a Parenting Through Separation Programme and are offered three sessions to prepare them for mediation and free legal advice.  More information can be found on www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice.
Other suppliers have been appointed to provide non-funded or partially-funded work. These can be found on www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/about-children/making-decisions-about-children/new-process/justice-providerslist.
These are challenging times and we are being invited to adapt to a new culture. A colleague, Paul Muir, and I have set up two new companies to supply both of these services (www.cfdr.co.nz and www.optimumsolutions.co.nz). It has been hard work to go through the tendering process, however we are hoping that we will be able to offer quality services to clients.

© 2015 NZAC

http://www.nzac.org.nz/counselling_aotearoa_news.cfm?articleID=942&page_obj_id=53

Therapy out of reach for many survivors of sexual abuse

An article from NZ Doctor by Reynald Castaneda

A Wellington GP is calling on ACC to recruit more sensitive claims counsellors, saying abuse survivors encounter long delays before their first therapy session.

ACC’s sensitive claims process has improved over the years, but survivors still face barriers because of a lack of counsellors, Doctors for Sexual Abuse Care deputy chair and GP Cathy Stephenson says.
Ease of access is important for people with a physical and/or mental injury suffered as a result of sexual abuse or sexual assault. Even the smallest inconvenience can discourage them from seeking help, Dr Stephenson says.
For example, when assisting one of her clients to find a counsellor in a different city, she called nine counsellors from a list of 10, and all were fully booked. Left to make these calls on their own, the client wouldn’t persist after being told “no” several times, she says.
Another problem is counsellors who can take new clients will not accept victims of sexual abuse, Dr Stephenson says. This is “fair enough” as they shouldn’t be overwhelmed by too many such cases.
ACC sexual violence strategy manager Emma Powell says the system is still evolving after multiple makeovers in the past several years.
 “We couldn’t have changes overnight … relationships had to be repaired within the sector to a point where we could all be working collaboratively,” Ms Powell told New Zealand Doctor.
“We want people to come forward and we want people to access services … this is not one of those [services] where we try to reduce people [coming] forward”, she says.
Changes to ACC’s sensitive claims pathway began five years ago after an independent review. ACC has been tinkering with this pathway since then, with recent changes going live at the end of last year.
More than 118 individuals and organisations offer sensitive claims services under the new contract, with approximately 800 providers including counsellors, Ms Powell says.
Survivors no longer have to get approval from ACC to see a counsellor, she says. But if more therapy sessions are needed, an individual assessment needs to be completed. If approved, the client can receive other types of treatment, including psychiatric and psychological help as well as financial compensation if they were earning at the time of the abuse. If a client is declined, in that the client’s mental issues are not caused by the sexual abuse incident, the client is redirected to other pathways which can help them.
“ACC doesn’t just say sorry, that’s it … it’s a very different system these days.”
Survivors who do not reach the assessment stage because they volunteered not to continue with any more counsellor sessions are also marked as “declined” in ACC’s books.
In the financial year 2013/14, 5118 sensitive claims were lodged and 3595 (70 per cent) marked as “declined”.This is a jump from 4828 claims lodged in 2012/13 (65 per cent were “declined”) and 4430 claims lodged in 2011/12 (63 per cent were “declined”).
Asked whether this conflated use of “declined” hides the real number of claims turned down by ACC, Ms Powell says survivors receive a personalised service even with this “accept or decline” system. Real numbers are revealed after audits are completed.

In essence
Wellington GP Cathy Stephenson says ACC needs to enlist more sensitive claims counsellors because survivors encounter long delays before their first therapy appointment.
ACC says the system has been improving in the past five years and dramatic changes cannot happen overnight.
Survivors don’t need approval from ACC to have an appointment with a counsellor, but must go through an assessment if more sessions or treatment are required.

© 2015 MIMS (NZ) Ltd

http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/in-print/2015/february-2015/18-february-2015/therapy-out-of-reach-for-many-survivors-of-sexual-abuse.aspx

Health insurer, physio group among suppliers of ACC sexual abuse counselling

An article from the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse

Australian health insurer Medibank, Active Physiotherapy (now called Active+) and Auckland doctors' network Procare are among 173 successful applicants to become "suppliers" of ACC-funded sexual abuse counselling.
"Suppliers" are a new management layer created as part of ACC's sensitive claims system redesign. "Suppliers" will contract with counsellors and psychologists who will remain the service "providers."
Counsellor and co-chair of TOAH-NNEST Tania Blomfield expressed concern about whether non-specialist suppliers would understand privacy issues and other sensitivities associated with sexual abuse, and whether they were seeing sexual abuse counselling as a "potential money-spinner."
As part of the system redesign, ACC will raise the level of funding it provides from the current $83 per hour to new rates dependent on the qualifications of the counselling provider. Providers will no longer be able to charge clients a "top-up" fee. This is intended to reduce the barriers to victim/survivors to access counselling. However, Ms Blomfield expressed concern that some providers could end up worse off if the suppliers charged large administration fees.
ACC recently announced that under the redesign, it would:

• Fund access to 48 therapy sessions over 12 months
• Provide the full cost of counselling sessions
• Allow claimants to 'shop around' for a therapist of their choice
• Provide therapists with travel funding to allow them to travel to people in isolated regions
• Support the inclusion of family members and support people during the recovery process where appropriate.

© 2014 New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse

https://nzfvc.org.nz/?q=node/1888

Question to Minister

9. IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour—Palmerston North) to the Minister for ACC: Is she satisfied that just 54 percent of the public expressed trust and confidence in ACC according to the corporation’s 2014 Annual Report?



Hon Nikki Kaye (Minister for ACC): No, I believe that ACC needs to do more to rebuild trust and confidence with New Zealanders. I am confident that ACC has a significant programme of work under way to achieve this. I am also pleased that the annual report shows trust and confidence has been trending upwards for the past few years.

Iain Lees-Galloway: Did former Minister Judith Collins damage public trust and confidence in ACC when she admitted that every New Zealander is paying too much for ACC because the Government is using excessive levies to create the perception that it will achieve a fiscal surplus in the current financial year?

Hon Nikki Kaye: Well, firstly, I disagree with the statement made in that question. But what I can say in terms of levies is that under our Government we have announced $480 million in levy reductions. That is incredibly significant, and it is a bit rich to get a lecture after the previous Labour Government left us with a huge deficit in 2008-09 of $4.8 billion.

Iain Lees-Galloway: I am going to seek leave to table a media statement, but that is because the Minister refuted the premise of my question—

Mr Speaker: Order! Members need to understand that the purpose of tabling a document is not to make a political point.

Iain Lees-Galloway: The purpose is not to make a political point.

Mr Speaker: Well, I think that in the way it has been described to me, it is very much about making a political point. The reason people seek leave to table documents is that it is information that is not readily available to members, may be difficult to source for members, and may be informative to members. If it is something that has been in the media, particularly media that is freely available to members, I do not intend to start putting the leave.

Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. In a ruling that you made—it was either earlier this week or last week—you referred us to a Speaker’s ruling that requires any statements made in a question to be authenticated, so if there is any factual material in a question, it needs to be authenticated. If a member is not able to table a document to authenticate that claim, what is the appropriate way for them to authenticate any claim that they might be making in a question?

Mr Speaker: The member, I think, is confused between a primary question and a supplementary question. The authentication is required for a primary question, and that is required in the process when it is lodged to the Clerk’s Office, and they will be accepted with authentication. With regard to supplementary questions, I have to judge relatively immediately whether it is a reasonable question, and I do that, but it is not as if there is an ability to then table information that substantiates the authentication of a supplementary question. So in this case, the primary question was authenticated, it was immediately answered in the very first word by the Minister, and we have now moved to a supplementary question. The way forward, as I continue to advise the House, is further incisive supplementary questions.

Iain Lees-Galloway: Does the Minister accept—

Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: World weary—he’s not happy. That’s a big sigh.

Iain Lees-Galloway: Are you all right? Does the Minister accept that over the 6 years that National has been in Government, New Zealanders have overwhelmingly come to perceive ACC as difficult to deal with, likely to breach their privacy, likely to litigate against claimants, and overcharging them for the privilege; if not, why not?

Hon Nikki Kaye: No, I do not accept all of the statements made by that member. What I can say is what I have said in answer to the primary question: there is more work to do. Obviously, by a percentage that shows 54 percent public confidence, we have to do better. Let me outline some of the progress that we have made. Firstly, you can see at an investment level that ACC is now essentially fully funded. That is an extraordinary achievement for this Government, given that we were left in a situation of a debt of $4.8 billion in terms of deficit. Secondly, at an organisational level it is very clear—and I am meeting with the board tomorrow—that it has a huge programme around both updating information and communication technology systems to ensure that we have better progress around issues like privacy but also that a huge amount is being done in terms of claims management. I am confident that ACC is on the right track.

Iain Lees-Galloway: Will this morning’s article in the New Zealand Herald damage public trust and confidence in ACC, given that it detailed an attempt to cover up information about fraudulent activity, that the cover-up itself was bungled, that when pressed about the extent of fraud, ACC could only say that the information it used was not robust, and that an accurate figure for the level of fraud has not been provided?

Hon Nikki Kaye: In terms of the article in the New Zealand Herald, I do not believe that it will actually damage public trust, because you need to understand that the data is—and I want to outline why, for a number of reasons—11-year-old data. The data was from 2,000 clients, and that is out of a total of about a billion claims. So, firstly, it was a very small sample. I also understand that the figure that was quoted of 8 percent to 10 percent was not the proportion that was fraudulent; it was the proportion that needed another look. So it is old data, it is a small sample, and it is ropey.

Iain Lees-Galloway: Given that the Minister is not satisfied with the level of public trust and confidence in ACC, does she believe that the two initiatives to address public trust and confidence listed in the service agreements between ACC and former Minister Collins, which are “refresh our communications strategy” and “social media”, will be enough to improve confidence in ACC, or does she think it might take something a little bit less superficial than that?

Hon Nikki Kaye: In terms of the corporation’s programme to improve public confidence, there is a range of initiatives. There is a range of initiatives. The member is referring to a different document. He is not referring to the annual report. If he reads the annual report, he will see that not only is there a significant investment plan in terms of dealing with the privacy issues, and not only is the ACC doing a huge amount around sensitive claims, which is very important, but, thirdly, the Government is looking at the long-term funding policy. When he drills down, when he does the work and reads the annual report, he will see that one of the areas where we do need to improve public confidence is around businesses’ interaction with the ACC. There is a huge amount to do in terms of that administration side because that is where the public confidence is partly very low.

Marama Fox:

    [Authorised te reo text to be inserted by the Hansard Office.]

    [Authorised translation to be inserted by the Hansard Office.]

Hon Nikki Kaye: Just in terms of the translation of that question, I got only half of it, I think—

Mr Speaker: I invite Marama Fox to either repeat it in Te Reo, or, if she wants to, she can now repeat the question in English—whichever she would rather do.

Marama Fox: Perhaps I will repeat it in English. How is the Minister planning to address the projected 10 percent increase in new sensitive claims each year, and what plans does she have in place to involve whānau in the recovery process?

Hon Nikki Kaye: That is a very good question. Firstly, one area where the Government is very focused, and also the corporation is very focused, is the prevention of sexual violence. We have a strategy and an action plan around that, and they involve a number of Government agencies. The second thing I would say is I am advised that ACC is currently in the final stages of tendering for new suppliers and providers around some of those sensitive claims. That is very important so that we have more providers. Thirdly, with regard to family and whānau support, I am pleased to confirm that family and whānau of sensitive claims clients will receive support through the introduction of up to 20 hours of family and whanau support, depending on family need. I can confirm that this will be available by the end of the year.

Hon Te Ururoa Flavell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Can I just ask the Minister with respect to the question, because I was not listening to the translation, for further information, just in case other members, Māori members, use Te Reo and we have to switch into English, which defeats the purpose. Was the issue that the Minister did not get a good translation, that the Minister did not get a translation, or that the translation was unclear—just for the purposes of—

Mr Speaker: I am sure I can answer that on behalf of the Minister. The Minister did not manage to realise it was going to be in Māori. She did not grab the headpiece in time to listen to the translation, so she picked up the latter part of the—[Interruption] I will let the Minister explain her own reasoning.

Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker: No, I am going to hear from the Hon Nikki Kaye first so we will get an explanation.

Hon Nikki Kaye: I was listening, and I heard only half, I think, of what the translation was, and other members may be able to confirm that.

Chris Hipkins: I am happy to speak to this, because I also was listening to the translation, and the translation bore very little correlation to the question that was then asked in English. This is quite a serious issue for the House, because we previously had a situation where questions were asked first in Te Reo Māori and then in English, and we moved to a system where we had simultaneous translation. If that translation is not going to actually translate what is asked, then we are going to have to reassess that. I listened very carefully to the translation. I can fully understand why the Minister did not understand what the question was. I did not understand what the question was either.

Mr Speaker: Thank you. I appreciate that. When I finally got my headpiece on, again, I found much the same as the member Chris Hipkins has said. We need to now investigate whether it was an issue to do with the translation, because it is critical, if we are going to rely on the translator, that we have an accurate interpretation of the question that is asked. Otherwise, it could lead to all sorts of difficulties for a Minister. I will look into the matter.

Abuse claim oversight switch stuns providers

An article from the New Zealand Herald by Simon Collins

Australian health insurer Medibank has won a bid to manage sexual abuse claims for the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).
The company, which is being sold by the Abbott Government in a share float expected to fetch up to A$5.5 billion ($6.1 billion), is one of 173 successful bidders to become "suppliers" of sexual abuse counselling - a new management layer that will contract with counsellors and psychologists who will remain the service "providers". Other successful bidders include Active Physiotherapy, now called Active+, and Auckland's biggest doctors' network, Procare.
Counselling leaders are alarmed. Manukau counsellor Tania Blomfield, who co-chairs the national network of sex abuse counselling agencies, said she was concerned that "private sensitive information is going into databases outside of the sector".
"It scares me that they may be seeing this as a potential money-spinner," she said.
ACC has lifted funding from a standard $83 an hour at present to new rates which will stay about the same for counsellors with diplomas but will increase to about $100 an hour for those with master's degrees or $130 an hour for physiotherapists, or more for clinical psychologists. But counsellors who go into the new integrated contracts will no longer be able to charge clients "top-up" fees of up to $90, and some could end up worse off if the supplier companies managing the contracts take a big cut for administration.
"From the client's perspective, which is what it's all about, this is going to be a lot better than the existing system, but the question is going to be how badly do the providers get screwed along the way," Ms Blomfield said.
Medibank NZ general manager Andrea Pettett said the company approached about 700 of the 900 ACC-registered counsellors and received indications of interest from more than 100 of them. The company also operates the Healthline phone service for the Ministry of Health and is believed to be on a shortlist of three, along with Lifeline and a company owned by Procare and Christchurch doctors' network Pegasus, in another tender to integrate Healthline with other helpline services.

Sex abuse tender

Why are sex-abuse counselling contracts being re-tendered?
ACC's new "integrated contracts" include assessing clients' needs as well as providing counselling. Until now most counsellors have not had contracts but simply billed ACC for hours worked.

Why can insurance companies and physiotherapists bid?
ACC has opened up the criteria for assessments to allow clients to choose their assessors and counsellors. Until now ACC decided who did the assessments.

What will change for sexual abuse survivors?
They should get a more integrated service, fully funded by ACC. Counsellors in integrated contracts can no longer charge clients extra fees above the ACC subsidy.

Why are counsellors worried?
Some counsellors worry that insurance and physiotherapy companies won't understand privacy issues and other sensitivities in sexual abuse cases.

© 2014 APN New Zealand Ltd

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11346777

National must stop meddling with ACC before the election

A press release from the Green Party by Kevin Hague

The redesign currently occurring at the Accident Claims Corporation (ACC) for sensitive claims needs to be put on hold immediately, said the Green Party today.
The Green Party is concerned about work currently underway at ACC involving the sensitive claims service that could impact on the availability of clinical psychology treatment for victims of rape and sexual abuse as well as their privacy. The Green Party believes that ACC is instituting a new level of bureaucracy in order to farm out sensitive claims to private providers.
“Instituting major structural change into the way ACC delivers services to New Zealanders a few weeks out from a general election is unacceptable,” Green Party ACC spokesperson Kevin Hague said today.
“The new corporate insurance model that ACC is moving towards creates a new layer of bureaucracy that may enable companies to set up and profit from procuring the services of specialised psychologists.
“Private companies should not be able to turn a profit from the money intended to support the victims of sexual violence and abuse.
“ACC’s new model involves the creation of new, non-specialist ‘supplier’ entities who will tender for the provision of services with pre-existing treatment providers.
“Moving towards this model could result in non-specialised third parties handling extremely confidential information which is currently only held by the Sensitive Claims unit and select providers,” Mr Hague said.
“The supplier organisations do not need to be specialists in sexual violence services, but are entirely new organisations set up for nationwide competitive tendering. It is not clear that in the event of a breach of privacy or process who would be held to account.
“The sensitive claims redesign could result in a decline in the specialist workforce and undermine the provision of wrap around services.
“Any psychologists not signed up with a supplier or themselves becoming a supplier will be unable to provide ACC funded specialist claims services.
“The Government has missed the opportunity to redesign the sensitive claims pathway and fully implement the Disley report recommendations.”
The Disley report, released in 2012, suggested a wide range recommendations including improving communications with clients, refining ACC’s systems and processes, ensuring treatment and assessment is carried out by a well-qualified, fit-for-purpose workforce.
“National is choosing to push through major changes without properly consulting clients, advocates, psychologists or the public,” Mr Hague said.
“The new direction National is taking ACC lacks proper checks and balances.
“The Green Party will stop this attempt at privatisation of ACC by stealth.
"The Green Party has previously laid out a ten point plan for rehabilitating ACC and bring it back to the core principles it was founded on.”
Link to Green Party ACC plan: https://www.greens.org.nz/press-releases/acc-rehabilitation-plan-announced

© 2014 Scoop Media

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1408/S00211/national-must-stop-meddling-with-acc-before-the-election.htm

ACC cover to extend to child victims of sexual grooming

A press release from the New Zealand Government

ACC Minister Judith Collins today announced an addition to the Objectionable Publications and Indecency Legislation Bill that would extend ACC sensitive claims cover to children or young people who are victims of sexual grooming or indecent communications.
“There is a gap in the current ACC law that needs addressing to establish cover for victims of these types of child sexual exploitation,” Ms Collins says.
“Our Objectionable Publications and Indecency Legislation Bill targets criminals who prey on children, either by feeding the supply or fuelling the demand for the insidious underground child sexual abuse market.
“This proposal will ensure ACC cover is provided for mental injury caused by the Bill’s new offence of indecent communication with a young person, as well as cover for the existing offence of sexual grooming.”
Ms Collins says the proposal supports ACC’s new strategy for action on sexual violence that focuses on prevention, first response and quality services to help victims of sexual violence.
Just recently ACC announced its Mates & Dates pilot that aims to prevent sexual and dating violence by helping young people to understand the value of healthy relationships based on respect, negotiation and consent.
A further addition to the Objectionable Publications and Indecency Legislation Bill will ensure that any person convicted of indecently communicating with a young person is restricted from working in core children’s workforce roles. The Objectionable Publications and Indecency Legislation Bill is currently awaiting its second reading in Parliament.

© 2014 Scoop Media

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1407/S00647/acc-cover-to-extend-to-child-victims-of-sexual-grooming.htm

Extra funding welcome

An editorial from the Otago Daily Times

Announcement of increased funding for sexual violence support services in next week's Budget, and full ACC funding of counselling for victims of sexual abuse and sexual assault, are welcome progress in this highly sensitive and increasingly pressured area.
Last Monday, the Accident Compensation Corporation announced it would fully fund sexual abuse victims' counselling as part of an overhaul of its sensitive claims systems next year. The changes would give claimants access to 48 therapy sessions over 12 months, more discretion to choose a counsellor, allow family members or support people to be included in treatment, and fund therapists to travel to isolated areas.
In a pre-Budget announcement on Wednesday, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said the Government would allocate $10.4 million for sexual violence services during the next two years, saying that the sector required extra resourcing.
It clearly does. ACC is expecting an increase in sensitive claims of up to 10% each year until 2020 as a result of the reduced stigma around the reporting of sexual abuse. Police have already put the recent increase in sexual crime statistics (which are bucking the overall falling crime rate) down to increased reporting, rather than increased abuse.
It is pleasing the topic is coming out of the shadows. Worldwide, the message now is (thankfully) that survivors will be listened to when they speak out, that sexual abuse and assault is unacceptable and perpetrators can no longer hide. That reduces the stigma for victims and gives them confidence in speaking out.
But when they do, as well as justice, they often need considerable practical, financial and emotional support - in the form of counselling - to allow them to work through the abuse and hopefully enable them to live their lives as fully as possible.
Cuts to counselling have always been about "cost", but leaving survivors to deal with the repercussions of abuse by themselves is far more costly in the long term. Those who have had little or no support, and who may have endured childhood and/or long-term abuse, are plagued by issues of shame, blame, anger, loss, betrayal, trust, self-confidence and self-loathing, which may affect their daily lives and relationships, and can lead to alcohol and/or substance abuse and mental illness.
All of that costs the health system, and comes at a huge personal cost to individuals, families and communities. Frontline support services and longer-term counselling is essential.
The increased Government funding is therefore welcome, but the fanfare is not.
It must be remembered the Government's drastic and wide-ranging ACC cuts to ''sensitive claims'' funding, including counselling services, in 2009, caused consternation among service providers and survivors and led to drastically reduced numbers of claims being accepted. The corporation backed down a year later, after significant pressure, and reinstated 16 hours of counselling funding.
An independent panel reviewed ACC's sensitive claims clinical pathway in 2010 and made 14 recommendations, but a 2012 independent review by Dr Barbara Disley found there was still much progress to be made towards fully implementing all the recommendations.
The ACC, as a Crown entity, is charged with implementing the Accident Compensation Act 2001 and its role is ''to provide treatment, care and services for anyone who is injured in New Zealand'' with the view of enabling them to return to the workforce. There is undoubtedly huge pressure on the agency. ACC figures show in the 2012-13 year, it accepted 1.7 million new claims and spent more than $2 billion on claims and another $2 billion on hospital treatment and surgery, care and support, and compensation for people unable to work.
While the Government's tough stance on crime has paid off in some areas, it is important to remember there are still victims of crime in many areas who may face mental as well as physical injuries as a result of the trauma they have endured.
Survivors should not have to fight for support in such a sensitive area as sexual abuse, in which the smallest hurdle might put them off seeking life-changing help.

© Allied Press Ltd 2014

http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/editorial/301056/extra-funding-welcome

Sexual violence counselling boost

A report from Radio New Zealand News

The Government has announced a $10 million funding boost in next month's budget for specialist sexual violence services.
Social development minister Paula Bennett says the increase will provide immediate stability for specialist services to help address current funding shortfalls. Ms Bennett says the sector requires extra resourcing, especially for making 24 hour, seven-days-a-week crisis call-out and emergency counselling services available. She says the money will be used to support frontline crisis-response and community-based treatment services, as well as male victims and those accessing medical and forensic services.
A Parliamentary inquiry is currently looking into the funding of specialist sexual violence services.
Ms Bennett says she couldn't wait for the outcome of the inquiry.
"The need is so great now, to be honest I'd done a lot of work on my cabinet and to get them to this point, there was no way I was going to delay them for another six months!
"I knew I had a shot of getting a bit of money in this year's budget so I was going to grab it with everything I had."
The Parliamentary inquiry has been told the sector is severely under-resourced and has lost about $6 million a year since changes to ACC in 2011 when it cut funding for sex abuse counselling.

Funding welcome
A rape prevention trust says the Government's funding boost will help stop the loss of trained staff from the sector.
Executive director of Rape Prevention Education, Kim McGregor says the sector has been underfunded for many decades. She says there's been a high level of burnout and it's been difficult to hold on to specialist trained staff.
Ms McGregor says the extra funding will help stabilise the sector in the short-term.

© Radio New Zealand 2014

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/242981/sexual-violence-counselling-boost

ACC fully funded counselling 'outside evidence'

A press release from 24-7 by Steve Taylor

ACC decision to fully fund counselling therapy “way outside the scope of the outcome evidence” says Counsellor and Social Services Outcomes Researcher.
The decision by the ACC to fully fund counselling for victims of sexual assault is a “good intentions decision absent of any cogent wisdom or evidence as to what works in therapy” says Steve Taylor, Director of 24-7 Ltd, and a Social Service Outcomes Researcher.
“While we know that 80% of people who seek therapy will make much better progress with their presenting issue than 80% of people who may need therapy but don’t seek it, we also know that the most significant period of clinically significant change for clients occurs within the first 5 – 7 sessions of therapy”.
ACC’s own reported uptake figures bear this out, with claimants session uptake averaging 7.8 sessions per person”.
Once again, just like with the NZ Family Court before it, the Government is going to throw money in the general direction of what it thinks might work, not ask for any outcomes measures of service provision from the therapists providing the service, and then cross it’s fingers that someone, somewhere, might be helped”.
Based on the international client outcome evidence, for ACC to adopt such a cavalier attitude with taxpayer-funded levies by stating “here’s 12 months of funding, help yourself”, would strongly indicate that the organisation has absolutely no idea of the importance of securing outcome data for funds disbursed, or service efficiency economies of scale".
Funding 48 therapy sessions over a 12 month period is gross and irresponsible waste of taxpayers’ money, when most of the time, clinically significant change can occur with many fewer sessions, provided that the results of the counselling intervention is being measured, and adjusted to suit specific client needs accordingly” said Mr Taylor.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1404/S00094/acc-fully-funded-counselling-outside-evidence.htm

Changes to ACC funding for sensitive claims

A post from FrogBlog by Jan Logie

Isaac Davidson from the Herald ran another great story today on the support services for victims of sexual abuse and ACC plans to improve coverage.
The new model will be “an expanded, more flexible service which took into account the sensitivity, length of time and cost of treating rape-related trauma based on the 2010 review recommendations.” It will cover full cost of the sessions and will allow people to shop around for a therapist who they feel comfortable with and therapists, psychologist and psychotherapists would be given travel funding to allow them to reach people in isolated regions. ACC is also planning to increasingly include family members or support people through the recovery process. There is an expectation that with increased reporting and more funding ACC were expecting the cost of sensitive claims to double from $45million per year.
Of course this is all good news but there are a few points in here that we need to watch carefully if we are to ensure that everyone gets the right help...

Read the rest of this post here: http://blog.greens.org.nz/?p=30254

© 2014 The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand