Gráinne's update - July 2018

We're taking a tremendous step forward for tamariki and rangatahi and marking a significant milestone for Oranga Tamariki. National care standards regulations have been approved under the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.

The regulations will ensure every child and young person knows what to expect when they’re in the care or custody of Oranga Tamariki.

They cover a range of things that are really important for tamariki, such as supporting them to express their views and contribute to their care experience, keeping them connected to their whānau and community, and valuing and respecting their whakapapa.

Read more about the care standards

At our recent regional and national hui with providers there was much valuable discussion about how we work with iwi and Māori.

New legislative requirements will come into force next year in this space, but more importantly about 70% of tamariki in care are Māori and we know we need to work with more Māori/iwi partners to ensure we’re working on the right issues for these tamariki.

We have a long way to go but there are some exciting new developments we can celebrate now – like a new care home in Tauranga run by Ngāti Ranginui, and more innovative Youth Justice options through an evolving partnership with Ngāpuhi.

We’re building on our pathway partnership with Tūhoe based on looking at our tamariki who have a whakapapa connection to the iwi, and we’ve got a similar partnership with Rangitaane. With Waikato Tainui we’re recruiting whānau caregivers in a new way through noho wananga.

Over half of children and young people in care are now in whānau or ‘kin’ placements across the country. 

We’re defining what we need to be successful, to make sure we keep moving forward and we hold ourselves accountable.

You can find out more about what we’ve achieved over the last year and what we’re working towards now in Our Focus, a document which sets out our vision, goals and priorities. 

Ngā mihi

Gráinne