A Community Readiness Study, abbreviated to CRS, is a way of gauging the community’s views of a particular issue. We are using this research method to discover how we can create a programme to prevent violence in our community.
In this report, the voices of the participants are prioritised, with quotes from each participant echoing the voices and experiences of the people in our community. Our community is in between the preplanning and preparation stages, with resources available, but little awareness of services and the seriousness of the issue of family violence. This CRS will inform the creation of a violence prevention programme in 2024, with the key recommendations being based on primary, secondary and tertiary prevention.
Family violence has been described as an epidemic in New Zealand with 175,573 family violence incidents reported to police in 2021/2022 (New Zealand Police, 2023). This statistic is even more shocking when we consider that anywhere between 50-87% of people who experience family violence do not report it to the police at all (Fanslow et al., 2021; Fanslow & Robinson, 2010). This Community Readiness Study attempts to understand the unique nature of family violence in our community and what prevention efforts are needed to reduce the effects of family violence in our community. In the 2022/2023 period, Women’s Support Motueka received 495 referrals, with 449 related to family violence (Women’s Support Motueka, 2023). Our services continue to be essential for women in our community who are affected by family violence.