This aside, SVSG carry out a vast range of activities for victims and perpetrators of family violence and are widely acknowledged for their work. “SVSG has stepped up to fill a very important gap that society is yet to fulfill.” Tuiloma Sina Retzlaff, survivor and family violence advocate, Inquiry public hearings The reason SVSG requires particular attention from the Inquiry, is around concerns that it has almost grown too big with very little oversight, and the lack of a Government coordinating agency means that it may have expanded into areas already being covered by other NGOs. Both the Government and SVSG have identified this lack of accountability as an issue which needs addressing. “There is an issue of accountability of non-government service providers when they are receiving all of their funding from external donors. It is the responsibility of the Government through the responsible agency to hold actors accountable especially for the wellbeing of victims under their care.” Samoa Family Safety Study 2017, Inquiry document 46 Therefore, just because the Government is not providing services, and NGOs have stepped in to fill the void, this does not absolve the Government of all responsibility. They are still required to ensure the NGOs are fulfilling their functions in a manner which protects the rights of the people within their care. In recent times, there were a series of newspaper articles about the standard of care being provided to children by SVSG, arising from an Australian volunteer who had been working with the organisation. Regardless of the validity of the allegations, the Government had a duty to investigate and ensure that minimum standards of care were being met. This is an excellent example where the framework provided by the CRC can reinforce the Fa’asamoa. When a child is in the care of an external organization, the parent is unable to fulfill their parental responsibilities and facilitate their development. The CRC contains minimum standards for the treatment of children which, if applied, can ensure the development of the child even in the absence of the parent. By using the CRC framework, the Government would not only ensure the rights of the child are being met as per the convention, but reinforce the principles of the Fa’asamoa in that child. A further potential issue with SVSG is whether they have expanded beyond their original mandate, and in doing so encroached on the work of other NGOs and taken on work they may not have the capacity or required skills for. “The (issue) is whether SVSG, by expanding to be ‘all things to all people in need’ has gone beyond what their staff are qualified to provide. In some respects SVSG could be seen as an organization with ‘mission creep’ by taking on important services in competition for funding with other service providers. For example, Samoa has a high suicide rate and counseling services for suicidal people usually requires specially trained counselors. This has long been the mission of FLO, a local NGO that provides telephone support by trained counselors for persons who are