Survivor Experiences Service

(survivors of Abuse in Care)

Today Survivor Experience Service is aware that people in state and faith-based care are still experiencing abuse. We are there for people who were abused in state, faith-based or other forms of care.  We also support people who are whanau of survivors, or employees who have been affected by and / or witnessed systemic abuse in care as part of their mahi either historically or presently.

If people have been abused in care, they can share their experiences to continue their healing journey and be acknowledged and validated. We can hear experiences from the past right up to present day.
They can also get support to request, receive and understand their care records.
We tailor our services to people’s unique needs and create a non-judgemental space. Māori, Pacific, Deaf and disabled, LGBTQIA+, MVPFAFF+, Takatāpui and survivors in prison remain at the forefront of our minds.  

We act as a portal between survivors, NGOs, community and advocacy groups, Iwi, and government agencies to provide wide-ranging insights for the incoming redress system.
International studies show that as a population, Deaf and disabled people experience abuse at far higher rates and for more prolonged periods than non- disabled people. 

In Aotearoa, Deaf and disabled people, particularly those with learning disabilities, spent time in a range of institutional care settings, including psychiatric and so-called psychopaedic hospitals, children’s homes and youth justice settings. Disabled children were also likely to go to schools that specialised in their disability or in disability needs in general. Some of these were run by faith-based institutions.   

Despite limited information, it is estimated between 11 and 34% (22,000 and 72,000) of people in NZ state-run Health and Disability care settings may have been abused. However, statistics from the Royal Commission show an under-representation in survivors from this group, with only 1,726 registered survivors reporting a disability or mental health condition. 

This implies there is a significant number of Deaf and disabled survivors who remain hidden for a variety of reasons. Reaching Deaf and disabled survivors to ensure they are aware of the support provided by our service is a priority, and why we have established targeted Engagement Leads to reach these communities.

Alexandra Carr is the Deaf and Disability Engagement Lead for Survivor Experiences.  Alexandra is actively engaging with providers and the Deaf and disabled community to raise awareness of, and gain trust and confidence in, our service. 

People can phone us on 0800 456 090 (NZ) or 1-800 456 032 (AUS). Our phone lines are open 8:30am – 4:30pm Monday – Friday.   People can email us contact@survivorexperiences.govt.nz  
People can text us on 8328 

If people are Deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, speech impaired or find it hard to talk, they can use the New Zealand Relay Service – www.nzrelay.co.nz. They can also reach Alexandra directly on messenger using video phone to call in Sign Language, or text her on 022 1099 485.

We look forward to hearing from you!