Counties Manukau acknowledges and responds to family violence as a health issue. The goal of the Violence Intervention Programme (VIP) is to reduce the harm of family violence by implementing early intervention programmes in health services. The Ministry of Health’s Violence Intervention Programme in Te Whatu Ora seeks to reduce and prevent the health impacts of family violence (family harm, and child abuse and neglect) through early identification, assessment and referral of victims presenting to health services.
The VIP team is on site at Middlemore Hospital. Their role is to train staff in roll out areas in brief intervention aligned with Te Whatu Ora policy and procedure. The team equips frontline staff to recognise and give the appropriate support to victims of family violence. The VIP team also promotes networking and information sharing among domestic violence agencies, ensuring an effective multi-agency response to the matter of family violence.