Safeguarding
Protecting the rights, wellbeing, and safety of people—especially those at greater risk of harm.
It includes prevention, early response, and creating systems of support.
Where to get support
If you, or someone you care about, is experiencing violence, abuse or neglect, or is at risk of this, here are some organisations that provide support.
For safeguarding / whakahaumarutia services
Contact the Personal Advocacy and Safeguarding Trust (PASAT) for support nationwide
You can access PASAT’s referral form on their website.
Email your referral to referrals@pasat.org.nz.
Or phone PASAT’s 0800 number which is 0800 728 7878
OR you can speak to your doctor or your local Needs Assessment and Service Co-ordination (NASC) provider about making a referral for safeguarding / whakahaumarutia support.
Please note that PASAT is closed from 24 December 2025 until 5 January 2026 and will have limited staffing during January.
New referrals will be triaged (i.e. actioned in order of priority).
People for Us / People First New Zealand / Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi
You can access a referral form on the People for Us website.
OR you can speak to your doctor or your local Needs Assessment and Service Co-ordination (NASC) provider about making a referral for safeguarding / whakahaumarutia support.
Please note that the People for Us / People First / Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi service is closed from 24 December 2025 until 8 January 2026.
New referrals will be triaged (i.e. actioned in order of priority).
AroVā
Safeguarding support for tangata whaikaha Māori and whānau hauā, and tagata sa’ilimalō (Pacific disabled people and their families) who live in residential care
Services are provided in collaboration between Te Ahi Kaa, Vaka Tautua and Taikura Trust.
Service area: Auckland and Waikato region
Contact and referrals:
In the subject line, put: DAPAR
VisAble, PASAT, AroVā and ‘People for Us / People First / Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi’ are
NOT emergency or crisis response services.
In an emergency, phone 111.
Safety in the Summer Season resource guide
The holidays and summer season can be traumatic for people experiencing violence, abuse and neglect. Data shows that the incidence of abuse and family violence escalates at this time, and this also applies for disabled people.
VisAble has produced a resource guide for professionals who are supporting at-risk people through these challenges. It has practical tools, tips and techniques for your use.
VisAble’s Safeguarding Framework
This diagram helps explain safeguarding / whakahaumarutia to people who like images, pictures or diagrams, when seeking to understand a system.
The diagram’s V and A represent VisAble’s name: i.e. making violence, abuse and neglect and their impacts visible and enabling an intervention – in this case, safeguarding Adults at Risk from abuse.
About the Safeguarding Framework diagram
On the left-hand side, the "V" stands for “Visible”. It shows safeguarding across the different levers - from prevention through to responding to violence, abuse and neglect - the pointy end of reducing family and sexual violence (FVSV).
The left hand side of the diagram is all about who to refer to (or make contact with) for safeguarding / whakahaumarutia support.
On the right-hand, the "A" is all about the purpose of the safeguarding work: the aims, and actions and how we enable others to achieve the outcomes needed.
It all starts with keeping the person at the centre of the intervention (personal) – showing that what enables safety is community and relationships, as ultimately these impact the effectiveness of the services that are delivered to disabled people and the outcomes that are achieved.
The outcome being aimed for is that of a “systems change”
Such change needs to be centred on and/or driven by disabled people.
We aim that it would result in the establishment of policies and legislation specific to Adults at Risk, that would reduce violence, abuse and neglect.
Ideally, this would result in government-funded services (similar to those in Oranga Tamariki and Age Concern) where situations of concern could be notified and actioned.