Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Acting Youth Minister Anne Tolley say young people will be recruited to help raise awareness of rheumatic fever amongst their peers.

“Rheumatic fever is a serious but preventable disease. Children and young people from Maori and Pacific communities are the most vulnerable,” Dr Coleman says.

“To further help raise awareness about the disease we’re going to recruit and train around 100 young people, mainly Maori and Pacific aged between 11 and 19 years, to talk about how to prevent rheumatic fever.

The $350,000 Local Government Youth Project Fund is open for applications, Acting Youth Minister Anne Tolley announced today.

“This fund is about supporting local councils to deliver projects that encourage young people to make a difference in their communities,” says Mrs Tolley.

“We want to help councils reach out to young people aged 12 to 24, and offer them more volunteering, mentoring and leadership opportunities.”

The fund can provide one-off amounts to individual councils of between $10,000 and $30,000.

Applications are now open for Youth Fund 2017, which makes $150,000 available for community initiatives led by young people, Acting Youth Minister Anne Tolley announced today.

“The Youth Fund supports community projects that help more young people between the ages of 12 and 24 participate in volunteering, mentoring and leadership opportunities,” says Mrs Tolley.

“A unique aspect of the fund is that it supports projects designed and led by young people, either working alone or in partnership with youth organisations.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says more young people will have access to increased support to become independent following an extension of the Youth Service which comes into effect this week.

Budget 2016 invested $41 million to allow the Youth Service to be extended to 19 year-old parents, one of the groups most at risk of long-term welfare dependency. 

Ministers today welcomed the start of the second Integrated Safety Response (ISR) pilot site in Waikato and announced another $1.4 million in new funding to support the pilot programme.

The ISR pilot involves core agencies and specialist family violence NGOs working together as a team to ensure that families experiencing violence get the help and support they need to stay safe.

An additional $1.4 million from the Justice Sector Fund will support the new site in Waikato, as well as the Christchurch pilot site which has been up and running since 4 July.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley say a collaboration between MSD and four DHBs will trial different ways to support people with health conditions and disabilities into work.

“Across government, Ministries are exploring ways they can work more collaboratively with the aim of improving the overall life outcomes of New Zealanders,” says Dr Coleman.

Seven initiatives will each receive $5000 of funding under the inaugural Youth in Civil Defence Fund, Acting Youth Minister Anne Tolley announced today.

“This fund is about increasing the involvement of young people in civil defence and emergency preparedness,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says the number of people on Sole Parent Support has fallen by more than 15,000 since before welfare reforms were introduced.

“Total benefit numbers have fallen by 3,292 in the year to September 2016 to 283,875, and have risen by 3,698 in the last quarter, as is normal this time of year due to seasonal work,” Mrs Tolley says.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says that as part of the radical overhaul of care and protection, Cabinet has agreed that young people will no longer have to leave state care at 17, and will be able to remain in care or return to care up until the age of 21, with transition support and advice available up to 25.

“The government is addressing the long-term trauma and poor life outcomes for young people who have been in care, based on recommendations from an independent expert panel,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says that New Zealand’s first child sex offender register comes into effect today, allowing agencies to be more proactive in managing the risk of reoffending in communities to keep children safe from harm.

“From today, child sex offenders will no longer be able to disappear back into communities after completing a sentence or order,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says more low income families will be able to access low and no-interest loans, as the Community Finance partnership is rolled out to additional areas across the country.

“The government, the private sector and NGOs have been working together on this initiative, and I’m delighted that more families will be able to access the scheme,” says Mrs Tolley.

Eight members of the Partnership Fund Board that will lead the development of new collaborative partnerships to increase youth development opportunities were announced today by Acting Youth Minister Anne Tolley.

They are Karen Shires, Sam Johnson, Paul Walsh, Mike Knell, Charlizza Harris, Anne Rodda, Terry Shubkin and Dr Angela Lim.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says the government will fully consider the recommendations made by a UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC).

It follows discussions between the Minister, a delegation and Committee members in Geneva last month, regarding New Zealand’s fifth periodic report under the UNCROC convention.

“I was able to highlight the real progress that our country continues to make on children’s rights, such as the overhaul of care and protection featuring the voices of children,” says Mrs Tolley.

A $50,000 youth leadership and mentoring programme aimed at helping steer young Hawke’s Bay people from gang life was announced today by Acting Youth Minister Anne Tolley.

“This is about giving young people with known gang connections opportunities to develop skills that open up alternative pathways to gang membership,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley and Corrections Minister Judith Collins have announced the launch of a new initiative to support more offenders into employment.

Budget 2016 invested $15.3 million over three years for the trial, which is targeted at increasing the employment prospects of released prisoners.

Work and Income case managers and professionals will work with prisoners from pre-release for up to a year to help them prepare, find and stay in employment to help reduce reoffending.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley today launched the trial of a new approach to social service delivery in the Gisborne and Wairoa regions.

Manaaki Tairawhiti is the second Placed-Based Initiative to be announced, and brings together local social sector leaders into a single governance group to better co-ordinate services for at-risk families.

“Manaaki Tairawhiti gives us a great opportunity to bring together and develop good local leadership, so that we can improve the delivery of social services to families,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says National Social Workers’ Day is an opportunity to acknowledge the important work social workers do and thank them for the difference they make for families.

“Social workers do an often thankless job and work with some of our most vulnerable families,” Mrs Tolley says.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says that legislation is to be introduced in Parliament by the end of the year which will better support children and young people in care or at risk of going into care, while increasing support for families and caregivers.

“The new Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki, will be totally child-centred and everything it does must be completely focused on safety and the very best long-term outcomes for children and young people already in the care system, or who are at risk of needing care,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says that the overhaul of care and protection will stay firmly focused on delivering much better long-term outcomes for children and young people in care or at risk of going into care, despite constant attempts by Labour to undermine and misrepresent it.

“The current system is not working as it should for young people and we are determined to make a real difference and give these kids the lives they deserve. I guarantee we will not be side tracked by petty political point-scoring,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has told a Pacific Leaders Fono that the new Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki will respond to the needs of Pacific children and young people in care or at risk of going into care.

Mrs Tolley told the Fono in Porirua that the new operating model will be culturally responsive and will better support Pacific children and young people.

Sweeping reforms to our laws will build a better system for combatting abuse and will reduce harm, says Justice Minister Amy Adams and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.

The Government is proposing a broad overhaul of changes to family violence legislation, stemming from the comprehensive review of the 20-year old Domestic Violence Act.

“New Zealand’s rate of family violence is horrendous. It has a devastating impact on individuals and communities, and a profound impact that can span generations and lifetimes,” Ms Adams says.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley will this week lead a delegation to Geneva to discuss New Zealand’s Fifth Periodic Report under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC).

The treaty, ratified by New Zealand in 1993 and which includes a total of 195 countries, requires states to report to UNCROC every five years on the progress being made on children’s rights, while identifying areas which need further work.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says New Zealand’s first child sex offender register will soon get under way, following the passing of enabling legislation.

The Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Bill has passed its third reading in Parliament, with the register set to commence 30 days after Royal assent is granted.

“Children deserve to be kept safe from harm, which is why we are going to be more proactive in managing the risk of reoffending from child sex offenders,” says Mrs Tolley.