2006: Statement of Intent - an evolving process
A Statement of Intent provides a description and explanation of a department’s operating intentions and performance expectations for the next three years. It is a public document that is presented to the House of Representatives on Budget day.
Managing for Outcomes is an initiative to encourage a more strategic and outcome based approach to departmental planning, management and reporting, leading ultimately to better results for citizens. The reporting requirements for departmental statements of intent are aligned with the Managing for Outcomes initiative.
The Ministry Of Social Development To 30 June 2006
Managing for Outcomes is an evolving process and each of the Ministry’s Statements of Intent reflects this.
Our Statement of Intent 2003 first described the five high-level outcomes we seek to achieve for different population groups: children and young people, working age people, older people, families and whanau, and communities, hapu and iwi.
Our Statement of Intent 2004 included a new strategic aim to our outcome framework, reflecting our social development leadership work. In 2005, we made further changes to our outcome framework for the children and young people, and families and whanau population groups.
This year we have updated our framework further. We have revised our contributing outcomes for Older People, reflecting the significant work underway within the Ministry to identify the opportunities and impacts of an ageing population.
We have also strengthened our commitment to ensuring clients receive their correct entitlement to social security assistance with an emphasis on preventing and minimising debt and fraud by consolidating our contributing outcomes on debt and fraud for Working Age People.
The Department Of Child, Youth And Family Services To 30 June 2006
This Statement of Intent also includes information on the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services. Child, Youth and Family’s Statement of Intent 2004 included outcomes on care and protection and youth justice. These outcomes were informed by the 2003 Baseline Review of Child, Youth and Family.
Child, Youth and Family’s Statement of Intent 2005 reinforced the outcomes identified in 2004 and proposed outcome measures and a timeframe for development.
The Child, Youth and Family section of this Statement of Intent reflects further progress in managing for outcomes. The framework places Child, Youth and Family’s outcomes within the context of wellbeing outcomes for all New Zealanders, and children and young people specifically. The framework also identifies two new outcomes: Permanency and Stability, and Resilience, for children and young people who are our clients.
The Ministry Of Social Development From 1 July 2006
The Ministry’s next Statement of Intent (2007/2008) will fully integrate our planning information around Child, Youth and Family. Over the coming year we will undertake a strategic planning process that facilitates this work.
In addition, the Ministry has made a commitment to develop cost effectiveness measures that are suitable for including in the next Statement of Intent. Cost effectiveness measures are a requirement under section 40(d)(ii) of the Public Finance Act 1989.
We will also be implementing strategies to improve the integrity of the benefit system and minimise client debt. As part of this work we will be developing new fraud and debt measures for the Statement of Intent 2007/2008.
