Statement of Intent 2008 - Outcome One: Children and young people
On this Page:
Give children the best start in life. Children are New Zealand’s future. All children grow up in a safe and happy environment.
Help young people achieve their potential. Young people are supported to overcome barriers, and develop their understanding and ability to make good decisions about the range of issues and opportunities they may face.
What we are seeking to achieve
- children and young people live free from abuse, neglect and offending
- children and young people have permanent and stable care
- children and young people are in education, training and other activities
- children and young people have healthy social relationships
What we will do to achieve this outcome
- we will strengthen care and protection
- we will intervene early
- we will support the building of primary relationships
- we will help young people transition to adult life
- we will seek solutions for troubled youth
Departmental output expenses that contribute
Vote Social Development
- Adoption services
- Care and Protection Services
- Management of Student Support
- Policy Advice and Support to Ministers (MCOA) Social Policy Advice Output Class Crown Entity Monitoring Output Class
- Prevention Services
- Youth Justice Services
Vote Youth Development
- Youth Development
What we will do to achieve this outcome
Over the next three years…..
We will strengthen care and protection
- deliver care and protection services for children and young people at risk from abuse, neglect and insecurity of care
- provide information and fund programmes to support parents and to prevent, or mitigate, the impact of violence within families.
Programmes and initiatives to be delivered in the medium-term include:
- progress the amendments to update the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989
- implement the amendments to the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1
We will intervene early
- deliver Kia Puāwai, a suite of early intervention initiatives which builds on the existing foundation of universal, targeted, intensive and statutory services
- provide Working for Families assistance to families with dependent children.
Programmes and initiatives to be delivered in the medium-term include:
- support social workers in 300 schools.
We will support the building of primary relationships
- deliver adoption services
- co-ordinate the Government’s work programme to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
- promote permanency for children in care.
Programmes and initiatives to be delivered in the medium-term include:
- implement the Permanency Policy for the placement of children in care to ensure they receive stable care
- develop and deliver a Health and Education Needs Assessment Framework for children with high and complex needs
- continue to promote Strengthening Families – coordinated services, particularly in the Health, Education and Welfare sectors, to achieve better delivery of services to vulnerable children, young people and their families.
We will help young people transition to adult life
- provide employment placement, employment readiness training and development opportunities, and financial support
- provide access to student loans, student allowances and scholarships for young people entering tertiary education
- co-ordinate the Government’s Youth Transition Services which draw together resources to support 15-17 year olds
- purchase programmes and services to support the implementation of the Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa – with an increased focus on outcomes for young people.
Programmes and initiatives to be delivered in the medium-term include:
- provide advice to young people through the On Course Programme to assist them to make decisions about their transition to tertiary education
- contract services for at risk young people such as Conservation Corps, Specialist Youth Services Corps
- administer the Youth Development Partnership Fund.
We will seek solutions for troubled youth
- deliver youth justice services for young people who have offended
- provide programmes to reduce the rate and severity of youth re-offending.
Programmes and initiatives to be delivered in the medium-term include:
- continue the development of Multi-disciplinary Youth Justice Teams to enhance the Family Group Process for youth justice
- deliver Youth Justice Residential Services
- co-ordinate the Action on Youth Gangs programme of work.
Policy advice
- provide advice on child and youth policy, including the care and protection of children and young people and youth justice issues
- co-ordinate policy across government sectors such as health, education, care and protection, youth justice and adoptions.
How we will demonstrate success in achieving this outcome
Indicators and measures to assess the contribution our interventions make to the outcome are under development. In view of the wide range of activities, programmes and initiatives delivered, a sequential approach has been adopted with initial emphasis on care and protection services and youth justice.
| Outcome Indicators – safety and wellbeing standards of children and young people | ||
|---|---|---|
| Indicator | Current | Trend |
| Cases of abuse and neglect substantiated | ||
| The number of children assessed as abused or neglected following a notification to Child, Youth and Family, per 1,000 children in New Zealand aged 0-16 years per population | New indicator that is being tested in the 2008/2009 year | |
| Rate of re-substantiated abuse/neglect | ||
| Rate of substantiated abuse/neglect within six months of a previous abuse/neglect finding per population | New indicator that is being tested in the 2008/2009 year | |
| Outcome indicators – young people in transition to adulthood | ||
|---|---|---|
| The 14 -16 year-old youth justice apprehension rates per 10,000 population | 1,636 (2005) | Steady |
| Source: Ministry of Justice, Conviction and Sentencing of New Zealanders, 1996-2005, Table 7.1b. | ||
| Re-referral of youth justice clients | ||
| The rate of re-referral to youth justice of 14-16 year-olds by the Police or Courts within 12 months of the initial referral | New indicator that is being tested in the 2008/2009 year | |
| Outcome indicators – early childhood education participation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Indicator | Current | Trend |
| Percentage of young children participating in early childhood education | 94.5% (2006) | Increasing |
| Source: Social Report 2007, page 35 | ||
How we will measure cost effectiveness of the interventions
Safe from abuse and neglect
We are committed to the prevention of instances of abuse and neglect and when they do occur, providing quality services to minimise the likelihood of recurrence. The focus on youth offending is designed to provide quality interventions to rehabilitate the young person and minimise the likelihood of recurrence. Priority is being given to the development of measures related to the recurrence of child abuse and neglect and the recurrence of youth offending. Systems are in place to test these measures during the 2008/2009 year.
Early interventions
Well designed early intervention programmes have been shown to produce substantial return on their investment. Evaluations of Early Start and the subsequent enhancements of Family Start programmes have demonstrated the effectiveness of the programmes.
Improvements in early intervention service delivery are being measured through an Early Years’ Research and Evaluation Strategy. The strategy is being used to examine the progress of Kia Pua-wai: Giving children the best start in life, a cross-agency initiative. The Research and Evaluation Strategy will measure progress towards establishing a continuum of services that together contribute to improved outcomes for young children.
The Ministry, together with the Ministries of Education and Health, will also develop a measure of positive adjustment to school to assess the effectiveness of early years’ services on vulnerable children.
