We cannot achieve our outcomes alone. We will develop strong relationships with a diverse range of partners, improve existing relationships, and build new ones.
Good partnerships will be seen in our work both directly with offenders, and also with offenders' families and whānau, and the communities where offenders live or will return to. We will work collaboratively with other Government agencies, specialist and community-based service providers, and local communities and groups. We will also work creatively with employers and training providers to give offenders the best opportunities for rehabilitation.
A key to building strong partnerships is harnessing the enthusiasm of our staff to make a difference and using that to encourage others to work alongside us.
Strong partnerships, and a collaborative working style will:
What progress will look like
We know we are successful when we see:
Progress to date
Partnership and collaboration has strengthened across the justice sector.
Joint solutions are being implemented to tackle persistent justice sector issues. Effective Interventions is a justice sector approach to reduce offending and re-offending, and therefore increase public safety and reduce the growth in the prison population. Our relationship with NZ Police is a critical part of this, especially in the community. Strengthening this relationship has been a priority and this needs to be maintained and extended further.
The Department is focused on improving its relationships with the health sector. These partnerships are particularly important given the special health needs of the offender population, and the links that issues such as mental health and drug and alcohol abuse have to offending behaviour.
Every day we work with partners in the community. Significant relationships with iwi and specialist Māori service providers have been established in many regions, along with increasing recognition of the value of our long standing relationships with volunteer groups. Many groups benefit from the community work that offenders do. Over 3,000 volunteers work each year with offenders. Employers benefit from prisoners working in their businesses. Many rehabilitative services are delivered by partner organisations. The fact is that partnership is an integral element of how we achieve our outcomes. Our focus on partnerships must therefore include a greater emphasis on the practicalities of turning these relationships into effective and enhanced services to offenders and the community.
Looking forward
We will strengthen our relationships with other justice sector agencies to reduce offending, manage the offender population, and stem intergenerational patterns of offending. We will also work closely with the health sector to tackle offenders' health issues.
Strong partnerships are the key to reducing Māori re-offending in particular. We will expand our work with Māori groups, including whānau, hapū and iwi, to support and improve the work we do to reduce re-offending by Māori.
Staff will be supported through improvements to national level partnerships. As part of this, we will undertake a stock-take of partnerships and relationships across the Department to understand clearly who our partners are, what our mutual expectations are, and how our relationship with them can be enhanced to improve sentence compliance and reduced re-offending.
Many groups are involved in supporting offenders' reintegration alongside Corrections' staff. Other government agencies such as Ministry of Social Development, and a wide variety of volunteers, employers and employer groups, and community groups all contribute to ensuring offenders are settled, housed and in work.
NZ Police also play a significant role in assisting with the management of high-risk offenders in the community. All of these factors, together with the dedication of our staff, and motivated offenders, will reduce re-offending.
We will ensure we work with everyone involved in a more focused, integrated and coordinated way to the wider benefit of community safety. We will reduce unnecessary red-tape and complexity, and make it easier for community agencies to work with us.