Statement of Intent 2009–2012 – Outcomes for Families and whānau

Government priority

Improve support for families - and young parents in particular.

Outcome

• provide early support and intensive support to high need and at-risk families.

To achieve this we will:

• provide early support and intensive support to high need and at-risk families.

Departmental output expenses that contribute

Vote Social Development

• Care and Protection Services
• Development and Funding of Community Services
• Family and Community Services
  - Output: Facilitation, Leadership, Influencing and Co-ordination Processes
  - Output: Development and Management of Early Intervention and Preventative
  Social Services Programmes
  - Output: Provision of Information and Advice
  - Output: Positive Parenting
• Management of Service Cards (MCOA)
  Administration of Community Services Card Output Class
• Policy Advice and Support to Ministers (MCOA)
• Social Policy Advice Output Class
  - Output: Social Services Policy Advice
  - Output: Strategic Social Policy Advice
  Crown Entity Monitoring Output Class

Families and whānau provide a secure home environment to nurture children and support family members

Strong, safe and resilient families raise healthy, well-balanced children. Resilient families pull together in tough times and support each other. Most families can call on their extended whānau for the support they need, but not all families can.

The sooner families who need help get it, the better the results. We will provide families with access to good parenting information and programmes to help them address problems early. We will also provide intensive home visiting programmes to families with high needs and ensure whānau-centred programmes are available. All programmes will continue to be evaluated to ensure they are effective.

We will help parents to get into and stay in work. Work is important not only for the income it brings into the family but also for the positive example it provides for children. Where parents are unable to get work we will pay benefits until they return to work.

Many parents find it hard to find good childcare programmes to meet their needs. We will continue to improve access to quality early childhood education for at-risk families and better access to childcare while parents are at work, during school holidays or after school.

Teen parents face higher hurdles than other new parents. We will target our services so teen parents get the support they need to access parenting and mentoring support, and to continue their education. We will also provide serious young offenders with training and support in parenting skills where the court orders this.

We are committed to addressing and reducing the impact of family violence to support all families to be the best they can be.

Over the next three years we will:

• Help parents get into and stay in work. Where this is not possible we will provide benefits until they return to the workforce.
• Provide early support and intensive support to families who need it, and fund more after-school activities and holiday programmes.
• Provide integrated services to at-risk families, pulling together Government agencies to ensure effective, co-ordinated activity.
• Make the Young Parent Childcare payment available to all young parents not receiving any other financial assistance so they can complete their education.
• Provide young parents with mentors who can share their parenting knowledge and experiences and give young parents the support they need.
• As part of our action against violence within families, take advice from the Māori and Pacific Reference Groups so our programmes are responsive to the needs of Māori and Pacific peoples.
• Change New Zealanders' attitudes and behaviours towards family violence through a programme of action.
• Ensure informal carers know about the supports available to them by distributing a Carers' Strategy Information Pack.

How we will show progress

Families living in poverty are more likely to be at risk of family violence. By providing targeted early intervention and prevention services for these families, and by ensuring they receive all the support they need including financial assistance, these families will become more resilient. The number of family violence incidents recorded is increasing. If our approach is effective, over time we can expect this to decrease. In the short term, the increased awareness of the problem can lead to an increased recording of family violence incidents.

We want secure home environments to nurture children and family members. Over time the impact of our programmes to raise public awareness and to support families should reduce the incidence of family violence in New Zealand homes. Reducing the incidence of family violence is an indication that home environments are becoming more stable and secure. We realise that, in the short term, increased reporting of family violence may occur as increased awareness leads to greater reporting.

Outcome indicators - Families and whānau provide a secure home environment to nurture children and support family members

Detailed information about the Ministry's performance in this area is contained in the Information Supporting the Estimates and in the 2009/2010 Output Plan.

³Excludes households where all members are outside the ages of 18–64 years.
(This is a measure of parental employment. Excludes households with both
dependent and adult children because adult children could be employed.)