Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Charitable Trust Website

SUBJECT: National Office. NZ. Report August 2004

GRG Cultural Advisor:

It is with the greatest of sadness we announce the resignation as cultural advisor from our Miriama Paraone-Davies, ("Sweetpea" and one who worked for a cup of rice). She has been one of our most valuable assets and will be deeply missed. "Sweetpea" supported grandparents and worked so hard to get the right outcomes for them and their mokopuna. Many of you in the Auckland region will have benefited form her support.
From the Trust's point of view and more particularly Di's, (the two of them have travelled many a mile together) where "Sweetpea" taught Di the basics in te reo, the Maori traditions and ways. As Di says, "Sweetpea" gave me an inner strength and calmness, she amazed me with her life experiences; she was always my most ardent supporter and indeed my mentor. I was certainly blessed when this wonderful woman made her first phone call to the Trust office. Three years have gone by so quickly my dear friend, I and our fellow Trustees and also grandparents will be the poorer without your incredible advice and knowledge. We thank you for giving us so much of your valuable time and expertise, we wish for you peace, tranquility and smiles. Aroha our dear friend and colleague.
Miriama will still remain upon the Board of Trustee's.

Hitting rock Bottom Article: July’s Newsletter.

The grandparents in this article send their heartfelt thanks to all who have responded with encouragement, prayers and thoughts via the Trust office. The child is now on another medication and it has made life at least tolerable. But then again they are aware they are standing on a moving mat.

Also, The Blame Game article bought many letters and emails with grandparents being able to relate to this.

So Proud:

She is now 13 and I have had her since she was 7. Every year she gets an achievement or credit in Science, Math and English in the Australasian school exams! Hasn’t she done well?

Indeed Grand, credit where credit is due but we are sure you had input here too.

Grey Power Tauranga:

GRG Trust has been invited to speak in Tauranga on September 14^th at the Compass Village Grey Power meeting. The meeting starts at 1.30pm and all GRG members are very welcome to attend. Compass Village is located next to Wickham School on 17^th Avenue.

Caregiver’s Abuse Allegations.

A pilot team is being set up in the Auckland region, where people have been trained to support caregivers who have been accused of abuse. GRG Trust has supplied a grandparent to undertake this training along with others.

They will:

- Be appropriately trained and supervised.

- Provide information and advocacy to enable you to make healthy decisions and choices through the allegation process.

- Liaise with other key players to ensure policy and practice standards are upheld during the allegation process.

- Maintain the highest level of confidentiality.

If you are in need of this service please contact Byron Perkins, NZFFCF (New Zealand Family & Foster Care Federation) on 09 579 7648.

If this is successful and a need is recognised, they hope to take this nation-wide.

Do you know what your little ones are reading?

It has come to our attention that a series of books are extremely popular for the 9-12 year old girls.

Jacqueline Wilson is the author and these books are in public libraries as well as school libraries. A particular book is called “Dustbin Baby” and disturbingly tells of a very young school girl giving birth who does not understand what is happening and puts the baby in a rubbish bin behind the Pizza place. Our grandchildren who have suffered past abuse are often concrete thinkers and actually believe the story and indeed may act it out. So if you notice your young charges reading these books, have a read yourself…..you will be in for a shock!

Also on this subject watch what they are watching on television too. Video’s and DVD’s - yes they do have ratings on them, but the important thing is to read the smaller print under the PG rating. This gives a true content and it may be PG contains sex scenes or PG contains horror scenes. It is all too easy to glance at the PG (Parental guidance) and assume this is ok.

Te Reo GRG Handbook Translation:

Finally after many trials and tribulations this is underway. We expect to have this translation of our unique handbook available late this year. Next year we will look at a Samoan and a Tongan translation.

Trust free phone:

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Charitable Trust has a 0800 number available for those who wish to contact us for help or advice but are prevented from doing so due to the costs of toll calls.

This service is only available to GRG members and not for Agencies. If you normally phone us from the Auckland region please keep doing so on the 09 480 6530 number, because if you use the 0800 number you will incur a cost to us. Please help us to keep costs down by being brief and to the point when calling, therefore stretching out the funding for this service. Please remember the office is open during the hours of 9am – 3pm Monday to Friday.

0800 GRANDS or 0800 472637

Families Commission:

Street address:           Public Trust Building, 117-125 Lampton Quay
Postal address:           PO Box 2839 Wellington
Phone:                        04 917 7040
Email: enquiries@familiescommission.govt.nz

Dr Rajen Prasad is the Chief Commissioner.

Mental Health Commission:

Postal address:          PO Box 12479 Thorndon, Wellington
Phone:                      (04) 474-8900
Email:                        info@mhc.govt.nz

Jan Dowland, Chair, Bob Henare and Mary O’Hagan are the three Mental Health Commissioners.

Legal Aid:

Applying for civil/family legal aid

How do I apply?

You start by approaching a lawyer you’d like to represent you.

Your lawyer will have a copy of the application form and will help you fill it in. You can also get a form from the District Court or from a community law centre or Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).

Some lawyers may answer questions about legal aid for free, but you should always check this with the lawyer when you start talking to them.

How do I find a lawyer?

If you don’t know a lawyer already, ask family or friends to recommend one to you, or contact your local community law centre, CAB or District Law Society. They’ll be able to give you a list of lawyers who deal with your type of legal problem and who work as legal aid lawyers.

The Yellow Pages lists lawyers under Barristers and Solicitors and Lawyers. Check that the lawyer you talk to does legal aid work.

What do I need to take with me when I see the lawyer?

· Take any letters or documents to do with your case.

· Take $50. This is the "initial contribution" to your legal aid that goes with your application. You’ll get it back if you’re refused legal aid. You may have to pay more (a "further contribution") if you’re granted legal aid:

· Take with you all the information you’ll need to provide on your legal aid application.

If you don’t have $50 for the initial payment, discuss this with the lawyer. In some exceptional cases you may not have to pay it.

What information do I need to give on the application form?

You’ll need to give:

· the address and phone number where you can be contacted

· your date of birth

You’ll also need to give details and evidence of your finances:

· your income each week and for the last 12 months (wages, benefits, ACC and so on)

· any savings you have

· the value of any major assets you own, like a house or car

· how much it costs you a week to live (rent, food, electricity and so on)

· any money you owe (such as hire-purchase payments)

If you have a partner (married or de facto, including same-sex), you must give the same financial information about them (on a different part of the form).
The decision to grant legal aid

How is it decided whether or not I get legal aid?

The Legal Services Agency (LSA) will consider:

· Whether you can afford a lawyer
The LSA will look at your income over the last 12 months (this is after-tax, and also after some living expenses are taken into account), and what you’d get by selling your property (like a house or car).

· If you have a partner (married or de facto, including same-sex), the LSA will take into account your partner’s finances (but not if your dispute is with your partner).
· Your chances of winning your case

· The cost of your case weighed against the possible benefit
For example, you may want to sue someone who has limited funds. Your chances of winning might be good, but the cost of your case might outweigh what you would win.

You must have reasonable grounds for taking or defending your case.

What happens if my financial situation changes?

You or your lawyer must tell your local LSA office if your household income increases or if the value of the things you and your partner own increases. This may affect how much legal aid you’re granted or how much you have to pay back.

What can I do if I’m refused legal aid?

You can ask the LSA to reconsider its decision or appeal to the Legal Aid Review Panel, or both.

If that doesn’t change the decision:

· Ask your local community law centre whether a lawyer from the centre can represent you for free.

· Negotiate with a lawyer to pay later.

· Try to find a lawyer who will work for you for free ("pro bono").

· Represent yourself at court.

Who pays and how?

Will I have to pay anything?

As well as your $50 payment, you may have to pay more (a "further contribution") towards your legal aid. You will owe this to the LSA as a debt, and will have to set up a repayment arrangement with the LSA.

If you do have to pay more, you’ll be told this when you are told if you’ve been granted legal aid.

How do I pay the "further contribution"?

The LSA can require you to pay what you owe in one or more of the following ways:

· A lump sum

· Installments (bit by bit)

o These may be weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

o If you miss an installment, your legal aid may be withdrawn!

· A charge on your property

o If you own a house, car or other valuable property, the LSA may put a "charge" on it. This means that if you sell the property, your debt to the LSA is repaid out of the money you get from the sale. The LSA will put a charge on your property if you owe more than $300.

o You can also decide to pay the money you owe at any time before you sell.

· The proceeds of your case

o You’ll probably have to pay back the full amount of legal aid (minus any money you’ve already paid) if you win any money or property out of your court case.

Is my legal aid paid to me, or to the lawyer directly?

It’s paid to your lawyer directly.

Do I have to pay anything to the lawyer?

No. If your lawyer does try to charge you more, you should tell the LSA about this.

You and your legal aid lawyer

What if I have problems with my legal aid lawyer?

Try sorting the issue out with your lawyer directly. If that doesn’t work, you can complain to the LSA. For more information go to www.lsa.govt.nz

User-Friendly Family Court Website Goes Live

Press Release by New Zealand Government at 16:01, 29-07-2004

Family Court users and members of the public will now find more information about the Court in a user-friendly and updated website, said Courts Minister Rick Barker at the website launch today.

"The content of the website has been updated to provide more information for people about Family Court proceedings. A wide cross-section of the community have an interest in the operation of the Family Court and the government, by delivering strong public services, is keen to meet the demand for straight forward information.

"The aim of this website is to help demystify the Family Court and how it works by presenting practical information in everyday language. This website is now less formal and easier to navigate around. So many use the net now for information, so it makes sense for people to log-on to the Family Court site.

"People can now view pictures of a typical courtroom to see who the key people are and what they do, this will remove some of the 'scariness' of going to court.

"The pages for children and young people, on how the Court works are colourful and in plain language. Children can find the separation of their parents really frightening and confusing. The government recognises this and is investing in making information more accessible to them," he said.

Other features of the site are an updated glossary, a summary of key pieces of Family Court legislation, on line forms and links to Family Court publications. The site also links to a wide number of organisations that support the work of the Family Court and provide additional information useful to court users.

The provision of this resource is a continuation of the Government's programme of updating the Court system and making it more accessible to all Court users. These include initiatives such as the Court Education for young witness program, open days being held in Courts throughout the country and the provision of additional information regarding the fines collection process.

The website doesn't replace the expertise of Court staff, however, who will continue to provide information and help to court users.

The Minister encourages anyone with an interest in the Family Court to check out the website at www.courts.govt.nz/family

Helpful Sites and Information