The team of volunteers working at a new Gandhi Nivas home to open in Papakura next month. Police officers Ihaka Watene, Caleb Turfrey, Tony Wakelin, Melody Brown, Nicholas Preston, Robert Prasad and Tony Tumai, with Sahaayta's Sucharita Varma, fourth from left, and Unit2Go's Brian Scott, right.

Counties Manukau South Police officers are putting in the hard yards to give back to the community.

During their time off, Inspector Tony Wakelin and Senior Constable Tony Tumai have led several working bees to renovate a new Gandhi Nivas home in Papakura to open in May.

Gandhi Nivas is a family violence prevention home and programme for perpetrators and focuses on early intervention.

SUPPLIED Before: Tony Tumai hacks away at trees in the backyard of the Gandhi Nivas home.

The concept comes from Nirvana Health Group's Ranjna Patel, who worked closely with police and Sahaayta Counselling and Social Support to develop the first home in Otahuhu.

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* Otahuhu's Gandhi Nivas helping to lower family violence rates

SUPPLIED The team working hard at the site.

Wakelin says the positive results from the inaugural home encouraged police to continue their support for the programme.

"Inspector Dave Glossop had done a lot of work with the Otahuhu Gandhi Nivas and we saw the results of that and how it's going to reduce family harm in that area.

"We had nothing like that in the Papakura, Pukekohe, Franklin South area, so it was really important for us to contribute and assist anything that could reduce family harm in our community."

TARANNUM SHAIKH / STUFF After: The backyard after three weeks' worth of hard work.

For the men that go through the programme the numbers of repeat offending are very low, Wakelin says.

"Those results speak for themselves and if we could duplicate that here, it's a win. It's a win for police, the community and Gandhi Nivas. That's why we're supporting them."

Wakelin and his team have worked on the home for nearly a month and says there was plenty to do for the police officers from Papakura, Takanini, Pukekohe, Waiuku and Tuakau.

SUPPLIED Inspector Tony Wakelin with local business Discount Trees' Rakesh Kumar.

"[It's] quite a large section and quite overgrown, so there was a lot of work. It was quite daunting at first, seeing the task in front of us.

"All our staff see it's a fantastic initiative and how we can help our community and help us because it's going to reduce our workload as well."

Two local companies have also assisted in for the renovation of the Papakura Gandhi Nivas.

SUPPLIED Melody Brown mans the wheelbarrow at the Papakura property.

Bryan Scott, of transportable homes business Unit2Go, says it has helped with maintenance of the house, sprucing up the outdoor living area, as well as adding privacy for the future guests.

Discount Trees' Rakesh Kumar, a former police officer in Fiji, saw the benefits the programme could bring and assisted with the clearing of the backyard.

Wakelin says the past month has been "a huge team effort" with volunteers rolling up their sleeves and working hard under the hot sun.

TARANNUM SHAIKH / STUFF The team having a break in the newly made-over backyard.

"It's pleasing and we're really looking forward to working with Gandhi Nivas once they open their doors."

How does Gandhi Nivas work?

Director of Sahaayta, Sucharita Varma explains that Gandhi Nivas came about after Counties Manukau Police reached out to Ranjna Patel and other advisors asking for help.

"One of the things we highlighted is that there are no services for men available early on. There was that lack of awareness around 'what are those needs?'

"Our focus has always been about supporting survivors, which is definitely needed, but have been blindsided for the men's needs out there," Varma says.

"We've found ourselves in a situation where the women were returning to their partners without the partners getting the right kind of help."

Alternatively, she says, some men moved on to a different relationship but came back as an offender because they hadn't received the right type of help.

As the programme focuses on early intervention, it's actioned after a police safety order has been issued to a perpetrator, which acts as a temporary restraining order from one to five days.

"It's at that point that the men [may not] have a place to go," she says.

Police then recommend the Gandhi Nivas home and if both parties are willing to receive support and counselling, a referral will be made to Sahaayta.

"We have a few questions we ask to ascertain suitability. It's a low, early intervention family violence prevention home, so we don't take high-risk cases coming through the homes," Varma says.

"We make that assessment and we let the client come through. It's manned 24-7 by a qualified social worker, a counsellor or an alcohol and drug practitioner."

Following that, a needs assessment is made with both the partner and the family at home to establish the type of support required.

"Some families go through three to four sessions of counselling and other families go through 52. Our plans are all completely tailored by the family.

"Unlike mandated programmes where they're told to attend a certain number of sessions, this is very much families having the power to choose as to what level," she says.

If the perpetrator changes their mind about engaging in counselling, Sahaayta still utilises the time of his stay to educate him about family violence prevention and the effects of violence on themselves and their family.

"That's an opportunity they may not have had prior, so we take that opportunity and let them go and whenever they're ready they can engage [with us]," Varma says.