The state of the science on trauma inquiry – Research article
Research funded jointly by social service providers and philanthropic organisations. Published from Women’s Health, Volume 15: 1–17, 2019.
Suicide rates rise to highest-ever level
Warning: This story deals with the topic of suicide.
The number of suicides in New Zealand has reached its highest-ever level, with 685 people dying in the year to June 30.
That compares to the 2018 road toll where 377 lives were lost.
Published in Stuff
New paper – Circumcision: A controversial topic
In response to concerns expressed within our survivor community, and to foster a more informed understanding of male circumcision as it presents in our contemporary society, MSA commissioned the attached literature review titled “Circumcision: A controversial topic.”
This paper also references another discussion on the ethical considerations of circumcision titled “Genital Autonomy and Sexual Wellbeing”, which has been included in our web Research archive to further inform our readers.
Study: The Freedom to be, the Chance to Dream
A study examining the importance of preserving the values and ethos of user-led peer support and self-help in the context of new policies to professionalise peer support.
There is a renewed acknowledgement of the role of peer support in mental health with new government policies calling for the appointment of peer support workers within mental health services. While this is a welcome move, there is also a danger that the values and ethos of peer support, based as it is in self-determination, reciprocity, empathy and shared experience, might be lost given its professionalisation, especially in the context of decreasing resources within the NHS. The report ‘The Freedom to be, the Chance to Dream: Preserving User-led Peer Support in Mental Health’, commissioned by the mental health charity Together and written by Alison Faulkner and Jayasree Kalathil, is based on a consultation with mental health service users and peer support services and their views on these new developments.
Published in Survivor Research
2012
Satyanand to leave historical abuse inquiry
The head of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in Care, Sir Anand Satyanand, has announced he is stepping down from the job.
Sir Anand has chaired the high-level inquiry since its establishment in February.
This story was first published by RNZ
Published in Otago Daily Times
Peer support reduces carer burden
In a world first, La Trobe University research has shown how peer-led support programs for family and friends who provide regular support to an adult diagnosed with a mental health condition can significantly improve carer well-being.
Published in MedicalXpress
Pope decrees bishops must be directly accountable for sex abuse or cover-ups
Pope Francis issued a landmark decree on Thursday making bishops directly accountable for sexual abuse or covering it up, requiring clerics to report any cases to Church superiors and allowing anyone to complain directly to the Vatican if needed.
Tackling sexual abuses that have battered the Catholic Church’s reputation has been a major challenge for Francis since his 2013 election, with victims demanding a crackdown on bishops at the diocese level accused of concealing or mismanaging cases.
Published in Better Blokes
Government sets out how it will respond to historical state abuse inquiry
Minister for State Services Chris Hipkins said he would lead the Crown’s response to the inquiry.
Setting out the principles was an important step in rebuilding trust between the government and those abused while in state care, he said.
“This is an incredibly important matter. The government is determined to take action in a transparent, coordinated and timely way to ensure such wide scale abuse over such a long period can never be allowed to happen again.”
Published in Better Blokes
Call for Sir Anand to resign from commission
A survivor abused as an altar boy by a Catholic priest in Dunedin is adding his voice to fresh calls for the chairman of the royal commission into historic abuse to resign.
It emerged over the weekend Sir Anand Satyanand – a former governor-general and the chairman of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions set up on February 1, 2018 – had offered to step down after disclosing his Catholic faith.
Sir Anand had written to Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin on September 1 to inform her he was a practising Catholic, involved in the Catholic community and had known Bishops in “church and social settings”.
Published in Otago Daily Times