Cover of the BIG

Collective action for shared outcomes

This briefing for social sector Ministers has been prepared by the Social Sector Forum (the Forum). The Forum is mandated by, and reports to, the Cabinet Social Policy Committee and consists of the Chief Executives of the Ministries of Education; Health; Social Development; Justice; Business, Innovation and Employment; Pacific Island Affairs; and Te Puni Kōkiri.

Recent practice has been for the Chair of the Cabinet Social Policy Committee (SOC) to lead cross-agency work in the social sector. The Forum supports the lead Minister to fulfil this role, including regular updates on the progress of cross-agency work to SOC.

The Forum has introduced new governance arrangements to provide strategic national oversight of, and joint responsibility for, the implementation of two of its key priorities: a Vulnerable Children’s Board (for the Children’s Action Plan) and a Joint Venture Board (for Social Sector Trials). New Zealand Police is a member of both of these Boards and is an observer at the Forum.

The social sector is complex. Agencies within the sector deliver a wide range of services to all New Zealanders throughout their lives. Some problems that our communities face transcend boundaries between agencies and services. Successfully addressing these problems depends on working together.

The Forum joins the social sector together to deliver better results through innovation. It does this by providing strong combined leadership for the sector and by pursuing a common agenda to deliver results for shared clients and populations. It has 10 current priorities:

  • Reduce long-term welfare dependence
  • Increase participation in early childhood education (ECE)
  • Increase infant immunisation rates and reduce the incidence of rheumatic fever
  • Reduce assaults on children
  • Children’s Action Plan
  • Social Sector Trials
  • Youth Mental Health
  • Contracting
  • Enabling Good Lives (trialling greater choice and control for disabled people –demonstrations in Christchurch and Waikato)
  • Addressing family violence.

We look forward to working with you to identify what new priorities you may have for the social sector.

The Forum has identified four critical supports for the collective design and delivery of social services, particularly those that address complex problems and needs. They are a mixture of existing mechanisms and new innovations that could be developed to improve sector agencies’ ability to work together in the design and delivery of services. Making progress on these areas will, among other things, enhance the information available to decision-makers and service providers and strengthen the sector’s ability to collectively prioritise resources. The four areas are:

  • shared results
  • social service integration
  • data integration and analytics
  • budget processes that support progress on cross-cutting social issues and results for shared clients and populations.