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

Relationships Aotearoa said thousands of its clients would be left without counselling support when it closes its doors on Tuesday because the Government had failed to line up other services to help.

Ministry of Development deputy chief executive Murray Edridge. Photo: stuff.co.nz

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 'uncooperative” and were spreading "mischievous nonsense”, said ministry deputy chief executive of community investment Murray Edridge.

'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 on Tuesday.

'We're hoping to go through and, by the end of tomorrow, have the vast majority of those clinical staff signed up under Stand,” Edridge said.

But a 'seeming reluctance” from Relationships Aotearoa to release client details was stalling work to get patients the support they needed as fast as possible.

'I'm not confident they will cooperate, [but] I am confident we will get over the line. We'll get there, because Stand are working really hard to make this happen.

'The release of the files and access to client details is really important. But we're not asking RA to give MSD their files, that would be unacceptable for both parties,” Edridge said.

'What we are saying is that where you've got clinical capability that is able to continue, albeit under a different agency, then access to those files and that information should be [continued] without question.”

Relationships Aotearoa strategic adviser Cary Hayward told Radio NZ that the Ministry of Social Development's assurances that five providers were lined up was not the case.

'We met with all the providers last week and it's fair to say they were feeling on the back foot. They didn't have the capacity or capability to deliver the services that RA [Relationship Aotearoa] delivers."

'It's clear that they weren't in a position to be able to take on Relationship Aotearoa's work, but we are fortunate to be able to be working with Stand Children's Service to transition a proportion of our clients and our staff,” he said.

It was the most vulnerable clients - victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence - that Hayward feared for most.

Hayward said they had provided a range of options to the ministry - all of which 'offered better solutions to clients, staff and the taxpayer” than what the ministry has come up with.

Relationships Aotearoa received close to $8 million a year from the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Justice and Corrections Department but has failed to deliver on up to 30 per cent of its contracts.

It had been on the brink of closure for some months and was in urgent talks with the ministries of social development, justice and corrections to thrash out a rescue package.

However, the Government refused to underwrite the forecasted $1.5 million deficit at the end of this financial year.

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