Integrated Government Response to the Poutasi Review

In 2022, a review by Dame Karen Poutasi made 14 recommendations for changes to improve the system of safety nets for preventing harm in the children's system.

Multiple agencies have been working together on the response to those recommendations to make the system better. However, not all findings have previously been accepted.

In September 2025 the Government accepted all 14 recommendations and committed to inter-agency collaboration and accountability to ensure the safety of children.

As Chair of Child and Youth Ministers, Minister for Child Poverty Reduction Louise Upston asked chief executives of children's system agencies, and some wider agencies, to drive an integrated all-of-government change approach focussed on improving child safety.

Child and Youth Ministers will oversee implementation to ensure that:

  • children are safer, with a focus on supporting children whose sole parent is incarcerated
  • the children's system has a consistent approach to sharing information on, reporting on, and responding to suspected abuse.

The Government's response to some recommendations has already been completed, and others are underway. Cabinet's recent decisions set out a direction of travel for implementing the remaining recommendations effectively to support the system of overlapping safety nets Dame Karen Poutasi envisaged to ensure no child is invisible when help is needed.

A staged implementation approach

Given the complexities and scale of the changes required, Cabinet has agreed to a staged implementation approach, designed to take immediate steps to maximise child safety, while sequencing further actions to build capacity in the system and mitigate potential risks.

This includes immediate work to ensure information is shared where there are safety and wellbeing concerns. The Privacy Commissioner will work alongside agencies on this aspect.

There will also be a particular focus on children whose sole parent is remanded into custody and / or sentenced to a term of imprisonment, to ensure they are visible throughout the system, and their needs are being met.

Work will also begin on the design of a mandatory reporting regime. This will begin with mandatory training for designated workforces to ensure people working in the system clearly know how to identify and report child abuse while also sequencing further action to build system capacity.

Next steps

  • Agencies will now undertake detailed policy analysis and service design. This will include confirming who the mandatory training and reporting regime will apply to and appropriate responses to different levels of concern, as well as the timing and staging for rolling out mandatory training.
  • The more detailed design will be subject to further Cabinet decisions. The next set of decisions is expected before the end of 2025.

Integrated Government change approach

  • The agencies supporting this work programme include multiple government agencies responsible for providing services or support to children, young people, and their families and whānau under the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.
  • These agencies include Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children, the New Zealand Police, the Ministries of Health, Social Development, Education, and Justice, and Health New Zealand.
  • Further agencies supporting the response include the Department of Corrections, the Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention and the Social Investment Agency.

Further information