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New ministry aims to end "atrocious" outcomes for New Zealand children

Xinhua, August 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

The New Zealand government Thursday announced that a new Ministry for Vulnerable Children will be established for the protection and care of children from next year.

The new ministry will replace the government's Child, Youth and Family (CYF) agency from April as the country struggles to deal with perceptions that the state is failing to provide at-risk children with a better future.

"The new ministry will put the needs of children first so that they have the best possible chance of living happy and successful lives," Prime Minister John Key said in a statement.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley, who will be appointed as Minister for Vulnerable Children, said the new ministry, new name and completely new operating model reflected the determination to remain "absolutely focused on the individual needs of each child."

An aspirational Maori name, "Oranga Tamariki" (Healthy Children), as part of the title reinforced the clear expectation that much more needed to be done to address the fact that six out of 10 children in care were Maori, Tolley said in a statement.

"The long-term outcomes for young people in the current system are simply atrocious," said Tolley.

"Too many kids who come into contact with CYF end up on a benefit, or in prison, or with few qualifications. This has to stop."

The new ministry would focus on five core services: prevention, intensive intervention, care support services, transition support, and a youth justice service aimed at preventing offending and reoffending.

It would have the ability to directly purchase vital services such as trauma counselling as soon as they are needed by children.

However, critics said the very name of the ministry treated vulnerable children as a problem rather than looking at their potential.

"You might as well rename the Ministry of Health, the Ministry for Sick People, or instead of talking about the Ministry of Justice, start calling it the Ministry for Criminals," said Glenn Barclay, national secretary for the Public Service Association union.

"It will stigmatize the children who it's aiming to help, and scare families who are trying to do the best for their kids," Barclay said in a statement. Endit