Counselling clients left ‘in limbo’

Claims counselling providers had walked away from negotiations are ‘‘mischievous nonsense’’ from now defunct Relationships Aotearoa, the Government says.

Relationships Aotearoa, which closes its doors today, said thousands of its clients would be left without counselling support because the Government had failed to line up other services to help.

But the Ministry of Social Development has confirmed three of the five new providers were taking leading roles in counselling services for some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people.

The other two had taken a step back into supporting roles.

Two weeks ago, Social Development Minister Anne Tolley said she was ‘‘delighted that a number of well-respected providers have come forward’’ to ensure the continuation of services to the 7000 clients Relationships Aotearoa is thought to work with.

The agencies – Barnardos, Family Works, Lifeline, Stand Children’s Services and Vitae – would manage the transition of the clients.

Relationships Aotearoa had been ‘‘unco-operative’’ and were spreading ‘‘mischievous nonsense’’, ministry deputy chief executive of community investment Murray Edridge said.

‘‘We’ve agreed with Stand Children’s Services – which used to be Children’s Health Camps, so they are a long-standing organisation – to offer to take over Relationship Aotearoa’s clinical staff.

‘‘We also have at least two of the other agencies involved. So Lifeline maintain the helpline for when clients are anxious about things, and Vitae are available to oversee the clinical operations for RA contractors, as opposed to RA staff,’’ he said.

Stand had taken on all of Relationships Aotearoa’s clinical management staff, and half its total number of staff.

The Ministry said it hoped all former Relationships Aotearoa staff would contact Stand, which was able to take over managerial responsibility for all of them – about 70 staff in total.

Relationships Aotearoa, which the Government refused to bail out, closes its doors at 5pm today.

‘‘We’re hoping to go through and, by the end of [today], have the vast majority of those clinical staff signed up under Stand,’’ Edridge said.

The two parties appeared to disagree on how permission should be granted to hand over clients files.

Relationships Aotearoa southern director Pablo Godoy said the organisation could not hand over information without a client’s written permission as per the industry’s code of conduct.

‘‘We can only release information to a third party if there is imminent risk to themselves [clients] or the public and the ministry should understand that,’’ he said.

A Ministry of Social Development communications spokes- woman said Godoy was wrong.

‘‘The matter just requires the consent . . . if they start ringing [clients] now . . . it can happen very simply,’’ she said.

Edridge said Relationships Aotearoa was being ‘‘deliberately obstructive’’ and once it handed over client details, ‘‘regional planning can be completed’’. Godoy said files that involved ‘‘imminent risk’’ had been handed over.

A ministry spokeswoman said earthquake counselling would be covered by Stand Children’s Services.

‘‘Canterbury is covered and Lifeline is there in the interim,’’ she said.