Waipuna teen parent launch, Christchurch

Waipuna Youth & Community Trust,
Christchurch

Rau rangatira maa Tenei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ra
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa

I am pleased to be here today to launch the Teenage Parent Service Co-ordinator role at the Waipuna Trust centre at Linwood.

I bring apologies from the Hon David Benson-Pope, Minister of Social Development & Employment. He would have liked to have been here because he would have liked to have personally overseen today’s launch, given that this project is very near and dear to his heart.

May I on his behalf congratulate Waipuna St. John of God Youth and Community Services Trust on having been chosen for this task, and extend a warm welcome to Michael Stansford, their Australasian CEO, who is able to be with us today.

The communities that make up the electorate of Christchurch East that I have the privilege to represent in Parliament, really care about our youth. Today’s event is an extension of that sense of caring. We want to ensure that teenage parents get good access to the support and help they need for themselves and their children.

All of us know how important it is that children are raised in loving, healthy and supported homes and we also know just how demanding that role can be.

For young parents, especially those that were not fully prepared for parenthood, the need for wider family and community support is absolutely critical. But where do they turn to?

We know that teenage parents often have more difficulty in accessing services than older parents, who usually have more knowledge about what is available, more contacts in the community, and more confidence to be able to ask for what they need.

Now Joanne Hope, the Teenage Parent Service Co-ordinator employed by the Waipuna Trust will help teenage parents negotiate the support they need. Together with the Waipuna Trust team, she will consult teenage parents on their needs and ensure that they are able to connect with the people who can help. Joanne will also ensure that the agencies in the community are working together collaboratively to ensure services are appropriate and timely.

Joanne will be able to help with a range of issues – from getting access to immunisation services to making sure childcare is available so that teen parents are not left behind educationally or in terms of skills training; so that they can get decent jobs and earn good incomes as their children grow up. Joanne’s role is all about communication and coordination - so that the right help is available at the right time here in the heart of the community.

Statistics New Zealand figures show that in 2005 Christchurch City had the second highest rate of teenage births in New Zealand. This is why Christchurch was chosen as one of the locations for a teen parent Service Co-ordinator. Joanne is one of eight Service Co-ordinators for teenage parents who are being employed around New Zealand to work with teenage parents and their children. It is part of a $2.6m investment in helping them and their children access community-based services over the next three years. This is in turn part of a $7m commitment by the Labour-led government to early intervention services.

We know that effective, early interventions have long term, wide ranging effects – especially for vulnerable families. They are important to improving children’s health, education and social outcomes. They reduce the likelihood of offending later in life, and also long term unemployment. They also reduce family violence and neglect.

It’s about supporting teenage parents in order to give their children the best possible start in life.

The Waipuna St. John of God Youth and Community Services Trust knows how to deliver services so that the whole community benefits. They have always aimed to be “a fence at the top of the cliff rather than another ambulance at the bottom”. So placing Joanne within your service is a perfect fit and one that will ensure that the children of teen parents have a real chance of achieving their full potential in life.

I would like to wish Joanne well in her role as Teenage Parent Service Co-ordinator. We are confident that you will make a real difference where it matters the most.

Thank you.