Family Violence Online Help Tools - Budget 2023

Continuing to provide 24/7 online and remote support to people seeking help for family violence across Aotearoa New Zealand - Wellbeing Budget 2023.

This initiative provides 24/7 anonymous access to a range of digital products and services for people experiencing, using, or supporting those impacted by family violence.

The Government is investing $10.055 million over four years to ensure the ongoing operation of Family Violence Online Help Tools, while enhancing their scope and quality to make them more relevant and accessible for specific audiences.

• The Family Violence Online Help Tools provide users with choices around the information and support they access, and how they access it.
• Current tools and services include:
  • the areyouok.org.nz website
  • the inyourhands.org.nz website
  • a 24/7 ‘after-hours’ phone and chat service to support Women’s Refuge sites across the country
  • the Check it Out relationship insights tool
  • the Bright Sky app
  • a Service Finder tool.
• This initiative ensures an equitable service response is available regardless of location or time of day.
• The Family Violence Online Help Tools fill a gap in the family violence response system, while complementing and supporting other services helping people affected by family violence.
• This initiative is part of a whole-of-government Te Puna Aonui package of $73.480 million over four years to fill key gaps and improve outcomes for family violence and sexual violence services.
• This initiative supports delivery of the following Te Aorerekura actions:
  • Action 12: Build tools for communities and informal helpers
  • Action 29: Develop a plan to fill the service gaps for family violence.
• The long-term outcomes of this initiative include:
  • improved safety and wellbeing for people, families and whānau, and communities
  • reduced strain on family violence providers, enabling more time to be spent on high-risk or complex cases
  • reduction in family violence, including the intergenerational transmission of violence.