Statement of Intent 2006 - Ministry of Social Development - at a Glance
The Ministry of Social Development provides whole-of-social-sector leadership and delivers policy advice and social services to improve social outcomes for children and young people, working age people, older people, and families and communities.
Through the Ministry’s social development leadership role, coherent and co-ordinated approaches are promoted across the social sector. The Ministry works to ensure that economic development and social development strategies reinforce each other.
From 1 July 2006, the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services and the Ministry of Social Development will merge. Child, Youth and Family helps children and young people who are abused or neglected, or who commit offences.
Much of our work is in collaboration with other government agencies and community organisations, where we will:
- help people move into and retain sustainable employment, and provide income-tested benefits to almost 1.2 million New Zealanders
- pay New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans’ Pension to 505,000 New Zealanders
- deliver Student Loans and Student Allowances
- help protect children and young people, especially those who are abused and neglected, and work directly with families in difficulty to help make them safe
- provide information and advice to families and communities, and funding, planning and co-ordination for community-based local services
- work with young people who commit offences to keep them from re-offending
- help new families form, through adoption, and enable adult adopted people to access information about their birth families
- provide policy advice on, and develop programmes for, young people, working-age people, older people, families and whanau, communities and people with disabilities
- undertake social research to provide evidence on what works.
We provide services to the following Ministers:
- Minister for Social Development and Employment
- Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (Child, Youth and Family)
- other Associate Ministers for Social Development and Employment
- Minister for Senior Citizens
- Associate Minister for Senior Citizens
- Minister for Disability Issues
- Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
- Minister of Youth Affairs
- Minister of Veterans’ Affairs.
We will be administering the following Votes in 2006/2007:
- Vote: Child, Youth and Family Services (from 1 July 2006)
- Vote: Senior Citizens
- Vote: Social Development
- Vote: Veterans’ Affairs – Social Development
- Vote: Youth Development.
We provide purchase, governance and ownership advice for the following Crown entities:
- Children's Commissioner
- Retirement Commissioner
- Families Commission
- Social Workers Registration Board
- New Zealand Artificial Limb Board.
We provide appointments advice on the following statutory tribunals:
- Social Security Appeal Authority
- Student Allowance Appeal Authority
- Social Workers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal
The key pieces of legislation we manage and administer include the:
- Children, Young Persons’ and their Families Act 1989
- Children’s Commissioner Act 2003
- Department of Child, Youth and Family Services Act 1999
- The Care of Children Act 2004
- Adoptions (Inter-country) Act 1997
- Adoption Act 1955
- Adult Adoption Information Act 1985
- Families Commission Act 2003
- Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions) Act 1990
- Social Workers Registration Act 2003
- Social Security Act 1964
- Education Act 1989, Part 25
- Disabled Persons Community Welfare Act 1975 (except Parts II and 2A)
- New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001, Parts 1 and 4.
The Ministry currently employs 6,400 staff. On 1 July 2006 following the merger between the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services and the Ministry of Social Development, this number will increase to 9,000.
Over the 2006/2007 year, the Ministry will be responsible for managing a departmental budget of $1.1 billion, and administering approximately $14 billion in assistance to New Zealanders. This includes New Zealand Superannuation ($6.7 billion), social security benefits ($6.2 billion) and Student Loans, Student Allowances and related payments ($1.5 billion).
