Gore is one of 6 communities in New Zealand selected by the government as a location for the trial of a new approach to social service delivery for young people. The Trials are a two year pilot that aim to improve outcomes for young people aged 12 – 18 years. In March 2011 Community Networking Trust won the contract to lead the Trials in Gore. Other areas in New Zealand selected to participate in Trials are: Kawerau, Tokoroa, Taumarunui, Levin and Te Kuiti.

The Trials are backed by the Ministries of Social Development, Justice, Education, Health; the New Zealand Police. At the local level there is an Advisory Group consisting of representatives from each of these sectors as well as the Mayor of Gore District and a Project Manager employed by Community Networking Trust. There are also action groups who have been called together to implement initiatives that have been identified by the Project Manager and the Advisory group that will achieve the outcomes.

The social sector trials focus on improving outcomes for Young People aged 12 – 18

years. Specifically the outcomes sought are:

Additionally The Trials aim to support decision-making at the local level, build on existing networks and strengthen coordination at every level of government and within the community.

Following community consultation, a plan was developed that provides the background and setting for The Trials. It describes the existing service delivery and identifies gaps in this delivery. The plan includes an Action Plan for achieving each outcome.

The Plan called for some big actions early on that would be key to achieving the outcomes:

Gore and Districts Community Youth Worker Trust won a tender process to employ this Social Worker and employed Nikki Beer in January 2012. Nikki works one-on one with young people and families who are referred to her by the three schools in Gore which have children in the age range; the Strengthening Families Coordinator; CYFs; and other relevant agencies or individuals. Nikki also develops programmes that she can deliver to small groups of young people to build resilience and increase community connection.

Community Networking Trust already employed a Youth Coordinator whose role was to support, advice, and strengthen the youth work sector in Gore. Community Networking Trust has increased the Youth Coordinator’s hours and broadened her brief to include development of resources and programmes that will directly impact on the achievement of the Trials outcomes.

The Rock-On Programme was implemented during the 3rd Term in 2011. The aims of the programme are to:

• Reduce truancy and youth offending

• Increase engagement in education

The Rock-On programme focuses on the long term rather than looking at a short term solutions such as picking truants up and returning them to school. A key component of the Rock-On project is monthly interagency meetings. These meetings are attended by Police, School representatives, Child Youth & Family, Ministry of Education and the Truancy Officer. Schools involved refer young people that have become truant and who have not responded to other interventions. During the monthly meetings a multi-agency response is planned to address the cause of the truancy. Services are put in place to address any issues and support the young person to increase their attendance and engage in school.

A Breakfast Club was started at Longford Intermediate during the 4th Term of 2011. Every Tuesday and Thursday breakfast is available in the school hall for students. Some young people come each week to have breakfast, others come for a milo and a chat. On average 35-45 young people attend each session and that number grows each week. The following information was identified during a recent survey of the Breakfast Club. 100% of those surveyed said they would recommend BC to their friends and noted the following as reasons:

The young people who attend had also noted some important benefits of Breakfast Club:

The 2nd year of the project started on the 1st March 2012. We will continue to work on the initiatives already in place and there are some exciting new initiatives due to be launched as the year progresses. Some of these initiatives include:

The Improved Outcomes for Youth, Social Sector Trials is an exciting project that this community is privileged to be a part of. As the year progresses we will add more information about the progress being made and other initiatives as they are rolled out.