Statement of Intent 2006 - Executive Summary
Few of us will do anything greater than help raise a child. That is why, at Child, Youth and Family, we are so proud of what we do.
We help those children and young people of New Zealand who are abused or neglected, or who commit offences. We work with their families - young and old, to help make them safe or to keep them from re-offending. We also help new families form, through adoption, and enable adult adopted people to access information about their birth histories.
Our work is very demanding. Solutions do not come easily when families break down. Our staff must be committed, resilient and multi-skilled. They must work effectively with our partners. They must also be backed by a strong organisation.
The merger of Child, Youth and Family and the Ministry of Social Development on 1 July 2006 will strengthen both agencies. We will work closely together to build our relationships with our partners; improve our services to vulnerable children, young people and their families; and intensify our whole-of-government approach to helping children and young people in need.
Internationally and in New Zealand, demand is growing for services that can respond to child abuse and neglect. One possible reason is higher awareness of and reduced tolerance for child abuse and neglect. Another is the increased pressures many families face.
A priority for Child, Youth and Family is to ensure we effectively respond to this increasing demand for our services. Our merger with the Ministry of Social Development on 1 July 2006 will provide strong organisational support for this work.
We will continue to develop our understanding of why demand is increasing in New Zealand, as it is overseas. We will continue to improve our capability, and the capability of our external partners, to provide the high-quality services that children, young people, and their families need.
As part of a co-ordinated response, the second priority is to reduce the time in care for children and young people who have suffered abuse or neglect or who have offended. We will do this by supporting early intervention and prevention, and supporting families to look after their own children and young people where possible. When a child or a young person does go into care, we will provide integrated services that work towards stability and permanency in their lives.
Our third priority for the next two to three years is to enhance our capability to administer Youth Justice services. We’ll focus on delivering quality Family Group Conferences, and on developing the capability of Youth Justice providers.
Each of these priorities supports the others. A successful Family Group Conference may result in the young person staying in the family home, rather than needing to enter care. Our collaborative work on prevention and early intervention can lead to reduced demand for our services, reduced risk of child abuse and neglect, and reduced risk of youth offending.
Achieving these priorities requires our commitment to continuous learning and improvement. We need to continue exploring ways of collaborating with others, at strategic and service delivery levels; to build our knowledge; to build good relationships with hapu, iwi and community service providers; and to recruit and retain our skilled and experienced staff.
The next two to three years will be a time of change and growth for Child, Youth and Family. We look forward to the many benefits from our merger with the Ministry of Social Development, and to continuous improvement of the quality and availability of services to children, young people, and their families.
