SVS Living Safe is a provider of professional family violence services. For more than 35 years, we have helped individuals and families seek and achieve real change to live healthier and safer lives. We are an accredited service, approved by the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Justice, and the Department of Corrections. We are a charitable NGO.

We work with people responsible for the family violence as well as people who experience it. It is only when we work with the entire whānau – including the perpetrator of the harm who also needs help – that everyone can develop sustainable ways of preventing future violence. A family-centred approach gives everyone a better chance of creating lasting change.

Our counsellors and social workers have significant education in their specialised fields. They undergo further on-the-job training with SVS Living Safe to enrich their formal qualifications to specialise in this work.

SVS Living Safe clients, regardless of gender and age, can take part in one-on-one counselling, specialised programmes for individuals or groups, ongoing education, and other services. Clients either self-refer or are mandated to attend our programmes. They come from all backgrounds and we ensure our staff reflect our community. We also deliver community education and training.

We serve communities in Nelson, Tasman, the West Coast, Marlborough and Kaikoura. Our primary office is in Nelson and we have an office in Motueka, both in the top of the South Island of New Zealand. We are a member of the National Network of Stopping Violence Services and participate in a daily local meeting working to prevent family harm.