underpins the new disability support system prototype in Midcentral. It provides a range of activities that protect and promote the rights, culture and wellbeing of disabled people and adults at risk and protect people against abuse. • the UNCRPD and what upholding its ethos means in practice in disability services, such as expressed in the preamble: o recognising the importance for persons with disabilities of their individual autonomy and independence, including the freedom to make their own choices o considering that persons with disabilities should have the opportunity to be actively involved in decisionmaking processes about policies and programmes, including those directly concerning them We further recommend that: • tools, such as those developed by TOAH NNEST for use within sexual and family violence services, and the People First Keeping Safe Feeling Safe programme, be resourced for national distribution • the Family Violence Death Review Committee be required to investigate the family violence (including caregiver and residential services related) deaths of tāngata whaikaha Māori, Deaf, and disabled adults (including older people), children and adults at risk. Two examples underpin the first point. First, the recently formed Personal Advocacy and Safeguarding Adults Trust offers multi-agency responses to violence and abuse of adults at risk in the Auckland and Mid-central regions of the North Island only, as the service lacks resources to provide the services in other areas. Second, TOAH NNEST has developed best practice service guidelines for working with disabled people who have been sexually abused/raped and have developed an E-learning module about inclusive practice that includes some information about working with disabled people. These, or similar initiatives, could be resourced and shared nationally. • ableism • violence against disabled people and how to prevent it, safely intervene and respond constructively • informed consent and supported decision making • the concept of interdependence versus fostering/enforcing dependence • the rights of service recipients. We further recommend that: • disability services are sufficiently resourced to ensure that appropriately qualified staff can be employed and that standards are upheld • all disability services must develop, in partnership with disabled people: 5. Develop training and ensure continuous training, and make resources available To ensure that the disability services provided in Aotearoa are of the highest possible standard we recommend that baseline qualifications are developed for all disability support services. The qualifications must be developed in consultation with disabled people and include a robust understanding of: • 54 Te Tiriti o Waitangi, kaupapa Māori models and approaches, and issues for tāngata whaikaha Māori Human Rights Commission • o comprehensive policies and practices to prevent, identify, receive disclosures of, and document violence and abuse o comprehensive policies and practices to safely respond to violence and abuse relationships with mainstream violence response services and with specialist and safeguarding services all information developed about policies and practices must be in accessible formats and easily accessed by all service users. A critical part of a comprehensive response to preventing and responding to violence and abuse of disabled people must be a shared understanding of who disabled people are, including recognition of the complexity and intersectionality of disabled people’s identities and lives, and the specific dynamics of violence against disabled people.