NZFVC Quick Reads: 7 February 2025

NZFVC Quick Reads: 7 February 2025

Welcome to our Quick Reads format. Each week we share selected news bites relevant to family violence and sexual violence in Aotearoa. See all past NZFVC Quick reads.

Archives New Zealand’s consultation on disposal rules for care records.

Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga | Archives New Zealand (Archives NZ) is seeking feedback from people who have experienced care as part of their review of the disposal rules for care records. Disposal rules dictate how long care records should be kept and what should happen to them afterwards. Archives NZ is looking for guidance on 2 questions:

1. What types of information should be kept? How long should it be kept, and what should happen to it afterwards?
2. Are there some types of information that should not be kept after a certain length of time? What are they, and for how long should they be kept? How should we manage the risk of not keeping them?

Disposal rules will apply to both the records of individuals who have been in care and of care organisations. More information on the consultation is available on the consultation page. Submissions close 15 February 2025.

Workforce Futures Fund applications opening

Tahua Rāngaimahi Anamata | Workforce Futures Fund will be open for applications from 10 February to 16 March 2025. The fund has $15 million to distribute over 3 years across eight sectors with the aim of benefiting the workforces within these sectors. The eligible sectors include social services, youth work, mental health and addiction support, disability support, and aged support. Information on what will and will not be funded is available alongside details on the questions likely to be asked of applicants. Organisations can discuss their proposals prior to submitting by emailing: admin@workforcefuturesfund.nz.

Research and webinar on domestic violence disclosure schemes

Te Puna Haumaru | New Zealand Institute for Security and Crime Science has released the recording of their webinar with Dr Katerina Hadjimatheou from the University of Essex. In this webinar, Dr Katerina Hadjimatheou discusses their ongoing research into international domestic violence disclosure schemes (DVDS), sharing her findings from the United Kingdom and South Australia, as well as her emerging findings on the Family Violence Information Disclosure Scheme in Aotearoa, analysis of which is currently underway. Dr Hadjimatheou has previously published an open-access article on the DVDS, An international review and normative examination of the collateral consequences of criminal record disclosures for domestic abuse (2023).

Recent research from Australia on workplace sexual harassment.

Our Watch, an Australian organisation for the primary prevention of violence against women, has reported on findings from their recent survey which included questions related to sexual harassment in the workplace. Our Watch’s news story covered men and women’s attitudes towards sexual harassment and how it factors into their employment choices. It also shares figures on workplace leaders’ understandings of workplace sexual harassment and their obligations to address it. In a recent related piece of research, ANROWS have published their report, #SpeakingOut@Work: Sexual harassment of LGBTQ young people in the workplace and workplace training (2024).