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Being safe is important for your and your children’s wellbeing. Wellbeing includes your physical, emotional and spiritual health and your access to basics like food, housing, healthcare. Wellbeing also includes having the freedom to make your own choices about how you live your life.
In an emergency, you don’t need permission from the person being hurt to call the police.
If you need to leave this website quickly, use the quick exit button at the bottom of the screen.
You can also find information about family violence specialist services on our help page.
Free safety programmes are available if you have experienced family violence and have applied to the court for a Protection Order. These programmes can help increase your and your children’s safety and wellbeing. Through safety programmes, you can learn ways to deal with conflict, access extra support and promote positive relationships. There are three types of safety programmes/services:
You can attend most programmes in person. If you can’t attend in person, you may be able to join online or by phone. Depending on where you live, there may be Kaupapa Māori, Pacific, or Ethnic programmes available.
Safety programmes are optional — you only go if you want to. You can also attend a safety programme more than once as long as your Protection Order remains in place. These programmes are not the same as the non-violence programmes that the court might order someone to attend.
Strengthening Safety Services are for anyone who has experienced family violence but does not have a protection order in place. During a short session, a family violence provider will try to understand your situation and risk of further harm. They will also help you create a safety plan. They may link you to other services to help you meet your immediate safety needs.
You can attend a Strengthening Safety Service if:
Adult Safety Programmes are for people who have experienced family violence and have a Protection Order in place. This programme is more in-depth than the Strengthening Safety Service. The information and how long the sessions run for will change depending on your situation.
Adult Safety Programmes have two parts:
You can attend an Adult Safety Programme:
Information about Protection Orders
Child Safety Programmes are for children who have experienced, seen, or heard, family violence. The sessions are usually held once a week as individual or group sessions.
They help children to understand the family violence they’ve experienced and find better ways to cope. The programmes help the child put in place age-appropriate safety and wellbeing strategies, including what to do if they feel unsafe.
Children aged 3 to 17 years of age can attend a Child Safety Programme:
Information about Protection Orders
Child Safety Programme providers are trained to work with children who experience family violence. Providers use different ways to deliver programmes to work effectively with children of different ages. For younger children this often means using play to communicate, such as art, cooking or sand tables.
Adults are usually involved in the programme to support the programme goals. This could be an adult named as a protected person on the Protection Order, other caregivers, or support people.
Each programme starts with a session to try to understand the child’s situation. This includes their worries and fears. In this session, the provider will identify the best programme for the child to continue with.
To find a safety programme for you, your children, or both, you can contact:
Register of Safety and Non-Violence Programme Providers (PDF, 239 KB)
There are services available if you need help or support for family violence.
Visit our help page to find specialist family violence support