Statement of Intent 2006 - Working better together
Both the Ministry of Social Development and the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services work towards a strong, healthy, and safe society. The Ministry provides research, policy development and service delivery across the social sector. Child, Youth and Family provides quality services to children, young people and families who experience or might experience abuse and neglect or youth offending. Child, Youth and Family also provides adoption referral services.
Our agencies share many values and ways of working. On behalf of the Government, we work towards the same outcome for children, young people and families: that all families are healthy, safe and strong, and all children, young people and families are free from violence, abuse and neglect.
On 1 July 2006, the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services and the Ministry of Social Development will merge. This will provide opportunities for both agencies to achieve better outcomes for children, young people and families. The merger will enable us to make the most of our combined resources and build on each other’s strengths.
Over the next year, we’ll be working to ensure that the merger brings the best results for our agencies and for the people we work with on behalf of the Government. Opportunities from the merger include:
- joining up policy, service delivery, research and evaluation for children, young people and families, to get a more complete picture of what works and to create easier feedback loops between policy and service delivery
- the Ministry providing stronger organisational support for Child, Youth and Family’s work to further improve services to children, young people and families
- joining up work between Child, Youth and Family’s remedial services and the complementary preventative services delivered by the Ministry’s Family and Community Services group
- both agencies broadening and extending their relationships across the social sector
- both agencies further co-ordinating their local services, reducing fragmentation among preventative and remedial services, and making sure that New Zealanders have “no wrong door” into the social services they are entitled to.
A strong and healthy society has strong families and thriving communities, high employment and educational achievement, a prosperous business sector and a thriving community and voluntary sector.
A strong and healthy society is safe and supportive for individuals, families, and whanau. Everyone has access to opportunities for work, education, social and community activities and to services like housing and health.
