VUW seminar: Children, Families and the State - seminar three
Published: December 19, 2019
The third in a three-part seminar examining the historical, current, and future role of the State, around families' and children's involvement in the child welfare system.
Background
Seminar Three brought together key stakeholders to discuss what a more just and supportive system that incorporates the obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi would look like. This discussion highlighted the ways multiple key stakeholders can work together to balance the need to identify and protect children from the worst consequences of abuse and neglect while making sure tamariki are not unnecessarily separated from whānau.
Hoani Lambert, Tamariki Advocate Deputy Chief Executive for Voices of Children, was part of the panel for the final seminar in the series examining the historical, current, and future role of the State, prior to, during and after families’ and children’s involvement in the child welfare system.
Hoani provided an overview of the new approaches Oranga Tamariki is adopting, in partnership with iwi and Maori, to transform the care, protection and youth justice systems in New Zealand. He presented these approaches within the context of the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy, and the collective effort of government and community to address the drivers of children coming to our attention and engaging with the youth justice system.