CYF out, Oranga Tamariki a new era

Within a generation, the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki, will reduce the number of children in state care from the thousands, to the hundreds, the Children’s Minister hopes.

This week it was revealed Child, Youth and Family hit a record-high of 5453 children in its care.

At a special launch event in Wellington yesterday, Prime Minister Bill English and Children’s Minister Anne Tolley unveiled the new agency which replaces Child, Youth and Family.

The Government expects it to flip the focus from ‘‘crisis management’’ with vulnerable children, to early intervention and prevention.

Oranga Tamariki is the product of a massive body of work overseen by Tolley, to dismantle the state care system and rebuild it from the ground up – children placed back at the centre.

‘‘It will work with families and whanau to ensure children and young people get access to the care and support they need, and will ensure they have a say in decisions that affect them – this is what young people have told me they want,’’ Tolley said.

She had a vision of what its success would look like.

‘‘That within a generation of care we’re talking hundreds of children in care, rather than thousands.

‘‘We want to be able to see families in much better health and those most vulnerable children in those stable and loving homes,’’ Tolley said.

While that was not a firm target, work was being carried out to include child protection within the next round of Better Public Service targets – the Government’s top goals, by which it measures its performance.

English said the Government wanted its social workers ‘‘under less pressure, dealing with fewer crises’’.

‘‘Because we’ve learnt ... that spending money on each child gives us a life-long payoff.’’

Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft said the new agency ‘‘must make a genuine difference’’.

‘‘Unless we genuinely seek children’s voices and their views on what’s best for them, we can’t possibly give them a real opportunity for a good life.’’

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