Round-the-clock emergency support for domestic violence victims

Tunstall Healthcare, Australasia’s leading connected care provider, has collaborated with Women’s Refuge New Zealand to expand support to women affected by family violence through a customised 24-hour emergency monitoring service.

The Women’s Refuge Whanau Protect National Home Safety Service provides nationwide support and resources for family violence victims to continue to live in their own homes, free from violence.

As part of the Whanau Protect National Home Safety Service, family violence victims are offered Tunstall’s safety alarms and emergency monitoring service.

Starting in July 2015, Tunstall has been installing alarms across Auckland, Tauranga and Christchurch. Over three years, the project will see more than 900 alarms rolled out across the country.

By utilising the service provided by Tunstall, Dr Ang Jury, Chief Executive of Women's Refuge, explained that the Women's Refuge were able to create a level of security that enabled women at risk of serious harm to remain in the familiar surroundings of their own home.

"Women are able to maintain their usual support networks rather than being relocated (often at some distance from their usual location), meaning that children in particular do not suffer any greater sense of upheaval than is already occurring as a result of violence," said Dr Jury.

“This avoids adding a layer of chaos and disruption to what are already generally very difficult and traumatising circumstances for women and their children,” she said.

Stephen Murray, General Manager at Tunstall New Zealand, said it was a privilege to be involved in providing services and solutions to Women's Refuge.

“Drawing on the 10 plus years’ experience we have in providing services to New Zealand Police and other organisations, we have been able to ensure Women’s Refuge were able to meet the tight timeframe they had for launching this new service,” said Mr Murray.

“We provide a customised 24-hour monitoring service specifically for Women’s Refuge clients, where calls are answered in silent mode so as not to alert an offender of its activation.

“Tunstall’s trained care consultants will answer the call and take the necessary action, with the audio recorded so that it can be used as evidence in court should the need arise.

“Women’s Refuge perform a valuable and important function in our community and knowing that what we do helps them and the women they support in the community is very rewarding for the whole Tunstall team,” he said.

Dr Jury described the organisation's experience with Tunstall as a successful and positive one.

"Our partnership so far has been an extremely positive experience," says Dr Ang Jury.

"Tunstall has been effective, responsive and easy to communicate with. All services have been delivered as promised – on time and within budget.

“Company representatives have been very accommodating in working with us around what can sometimes be a challenging client group with exacting security and safety concerns,” she said.

About Women’s Refuge

The National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges (NCIWR) is the largest provider of services to women and children experiencing domestic and family violence across New Zealand. Women’s Refuges across New Zealand have been providing services to women and children experiencing violence and abuse within their families for more than 40 years now. Each year we support in excess of 20,000 women and children, either through our national network of safe houses, or within local communities for those women safe enough to remain in their homes. Services are provided by a network of 38 refuges, with approximately 250 paid staff (supported by some 350-400 volunteers) delivering services across 45 service sites, ranging from Invercargill in the South to Kaitaia in the North. Services provided include 24/7 access to crisis assistance and secure emergency accommodation, community support and advocacy, and women’s and children’s domestic violence education programmes, alongside a national home safety service designed to assist women and children to stay in their own home, rather than entering a safe house.

https://womensrefuge.org.nz   @womensrefugenz