Survivors of historical abuse in state care and in the care of faith-based institutions can now go to a single place for information about State redress, to make a new claim, or to find out what happens next, the Government has announced.
Lead Coordination Minister, Erica Stanford said the new State Redress Service operates on behalf of all State redress agencies, creating one point of contact regardless of which agency was responsible for a survivor’s care.
“The new service is designed to make State redress easier to access, easier to understand, and provide a more consistent approach across agencies,” Ms Stanford says.
“For too long, some survivors have had to navigate many agencies to understand where to go for information, support or progress multiple claims for redress.
“Survivors have also had to retell deeply personal experiences multiple times while trying to access information, support and redress. That is not acceptable.
“The State Redress Service provides a single place for survivors to start, while helping agencies work together to provide a more consistent experience.”
The new service is part of the Government’s suite of changes in response to recommendations made by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
“For survivors with claims across multiple agencies, those claims will now be managed by one case manager. This will make the redress process simpler for survivors, particularly where their experiences involve more than one care setting or government agency,” Ms Stanford says.
Survivors seeking information, wanting to make a new claim, or wanting to understand what happens next can now visit www.redress.govt.nz.
