Publication.

Statement of Intent - Nature and scope of functions

The Ministry of Social Development is the Government’s lead provider of policy advice and services in respect of children and young people, working age people, older people, and families and whānau and communities. It provides services to the:

  • Minister and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment
  • Minister for Senior Citizens
  • Minister and Associate Minister for Disability Issues
  • Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
  • Minister of Youth Affairs
  • Minister for Veterans’ Affairs.

Throughout the country we have around 300 sites to provide services to more than 1.1 million clients.

The Ministry provides leadership and co-ordination among various government and non-government organisations to achieve improved results. The Ministry chairs the Social Sector Forum of Chief Executives and participates in the Justice Sector Chief Executives forum. The Ministry provides whole-of-social- sector second opinion advice to Government.

The Ministry includes three offices:

  • the Office for Senior Citizens – supporting the Minister for Senior Citizens to promote positive ageing and the interests of older people
  • the Office for Disability Issues – supporting the Minister
    for Disability Issues to oversee the New Zealand Disability Strategy addressing the challenges and advancing the interests of disabled New Zealanders
  • the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector – supporting the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector to strengthen the relationship between Government and the sector.

We are responsible for:

  • the statutory care and protection of children and young people, youth justice services, adoption services
  • delivering of employment and income support servicing and New Zealand Superannuation
  • administrating of New Zealand’s international welfare portability arrangements
  • providing student allowances and student loans
  • the leadership and co-ordination of social and support services, and funding to community service providers
  • providing access to a range of concessions and discounts.

We are structured into the following clusters:

  • Policy – the Social Sector Strategy group provides social
    sector-wide policy advice, policy advice on communities and community-government relationships, second opinion advice to Ministers and to the Cabinet Social Policy Committee. The Social Services Policy group provides advice on services for children and families, young people, working age New Zealanders and older people. This group includes the Ministry of Youth Development.
  • Service Delivery – provides services to clients through four service lines: Work and Income; Students, Seniors and Integrity Services; Child, Youth and Family; and Family and Community Services.
  • Corporate – supports the service delivery and policy clusters: People, Capability and Resources; Risk and Assurance; and Corporate and Governance.

We will be administering the following Votes in 2009/2010:

  • Vote Senior Citizens
  • Vote Social Development
  • Vote Veterans’ Affairs – Social Development
  • Vote Youth Development.
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We provide purchase, governance and ownership advice for the following Crown entities:

  • Children’s Commissioner
  • Families’ Commission
  • New Zealand Artificial Limb Board
  • Retirement Commissioner
  • Social Workers Registration Board.

We provide advice on appointments to the following statutory tribunals:

  • Social Security Appeal Authority
  • Social Workers’ Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal
  • Student Allowance Appeal Authority.

The key pieces of legislation we manage and administer
are the:

  • Adoption Act 1955 (operational administration)
  • Adoption (Intercountry) Act 1997 (operational administration)
  • Adult Adoption Information Act 1985 (operational administration)
  • Charities Act 2005
  • Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989
  • Children’s Commissioner Act 2003
  • Department of Child, Youth and Family Services Act 1999
  • Department of Social Welfare Act 1971
  • Disability (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Act 2008
  • Disabled Persons Community Welfare Act 1975 (except Part 2A)
  • Education Act 1989 (Part 25)
  • Employment Services and Income Support (Integrated Administration) Act 1998
  • Families Commission Act 2003
  • Family Benefits (Home Ownership) Act 1964
  • New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006
  • New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001 (Parts 1 and 4 and Schedules 1 and 6)
  • Social Security Act 1964
  • Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions) Act 1990
  • Social Workers Registration Act 2003
  • War Pensions Act 1954 (operational administration for Veterans’ Pensions).

Bills on the 2009 legislation programme which have an impact on the Ministry of Social Development are:

Those that must be passed in 2009:

  • Children, Young Persons, and Their Families (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill 2009
  • Social Assistance (Contingency) Amendment Bill.

Those to be passed in 2009, if possible:

  • Social Assistance (Payment of New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension Overseas) Amendment Bill 2008.

Those to proceed to a select committee in 2009:

  • Protection of Personal and Property Rights Amendment Bill.

Non-Ministry Bills on the legislation programme in which the Ministry has a particular interest include the:

  • Insolvency Amendment Bill 2009
  • Care of Children (Child Protection Convention) Amendment Bill.