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The Government is making changes that will better target Working for Families to lower income earners and ensure its cost remains sustainable into the future, Finance Minister Bill English, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett and Revenue Minister Peter Dunne say.

Working for Families will be altered over time so that eventually the scheme has:

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett and Agriculture Minister David Carter have activated Enhanced Taskforce Green to clean up parts of Hawkes Bay recently damaged by severe flooding.

“This means around 48 people, many of whom are currently on benefits, will get to work helping clear debris and repair damage to property,” says Ms Bennett.

“Around 120 farms in the Wairoa, Hastings and Central Hawkes Bay area are affected and urgently need some extra hands to do the work,” says Mr Carter.

Community organisations will get more support today from the Community Response Fund says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.   

Around $14 million has been allocated in round six of the CRF.

“We created this fund to help organisations keep delivering services to families through tough financial times and it’s done just that,” said Ms Bennett. 

In this final round, 345 organisations receive grants totalling $13.9 million. 

Extra funding for Wellchild services will make a real difference by focusing on first time mothers says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

The $21.3 million for Wellchild services are part of a $54.5 million package announced by Health Minister Tony Ryall today.

“First time mothers and their babies will benefit from extra help and support, particularly for those who are finding it tough” says Ms Bennett.

The number of those officially unemployed dropped in the last quarter, Social Development and Employment Minister Paula Bennett says.

The Statistics New Zealand rate, which includes those 15 years and over seeking at least an hour of work a week, has fallen to 6.6%.

“It’s been a long haul since the recession, but many New Zealanders are now feeling more optimistic about the future,” says Ms Bennett.

The number of people employed and in work rose by 30,000 over the last quarter to 2,214,000.

The Government is investing $55.2 million to get young people into jobs, Social Development and Employment Minister Paula Bennett says.

The investment over four years will see more young people employed with work and training subsidies and through Limited Service Volunteers.

“Young New Zealanders were hit hard by the recession, with many squeezed out of the tight job market,” she says.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Russell Wills as Children’s Commissioner.

Dr Wills is the Head of Paediatrics at Hawke’s Bay DHB and has a strong clinical background as well as a history of advocating for children.

He will take up the role of part time Children’s Commissioner and continue part time as a paediatrician, remaining strongly connected to the community.

Sickness beneficiaries medically assessed as able to work are getting help to find suitable part-time work from today.

“Those who can work, should and in fact research shows working part-time can help some on a sickness benefit recover faster,” says Ms Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett agrees with Associate Minister Tariana Turia that frontline family violence services must take funding priority.

“The Government invests $62.4million a year in family violence services and that funding must make a real difference in communities,” says Ms Bennett.

“While Minister Turia is overseas, I am speaking on her behalf on this issue to correct some misinformation with a few facts,” says Ms Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett welcomes today’s launch of Responsible Lending Guidelines by the Financial Services Federation.

“Personal responsibility is important when it comes to borrowing money, but lending services should not be lending to people they know are incapable of servicing a loan,” says Ms Bennett.

“These guidelines will act as benchmark for socially responsible lending to vulnerable clients, loan sharking should not be tolerated,” says Ms Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is developing a Green Paper to kick off a national conversation on how we value, nurture and protect children.

“By taking a Green Paper to the nation, we’re inviting New Zealanders to be part of this visionary approach,” says Ms Bennett.

“We can do better by our children in taking a planned, long-term approach to tackling a wide range of issues that affect children,” says Ms Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says she is unable to release the findings of a Ministerial Inquiry into alleged child abuse.

“In January I called for a Ministerial Inquiry into the alleged serious abuse of a nine year old girl from Auckland and other matters relating to the welfare, safety and protection of children in New Zealand,” says Ms Bennett.

“The Ministerial Inquiry is now complete. I would very much like to release the findings and will when possible, but for now legal reasons prevent that,” says Ms Bennett.

The system to enable young offenders to pay reparation to their victims, has been tightened up says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“It’s important for young offenders to take responsibility for what they’ve done, and make an effort to put things right,” says Ms Bennett. `

When a young offender is held to account at a Family Group Conference, part of the reparation process includes compensation for victim’s losses.

Job Ops has given ten thousand young people the chance to learn on the job skills and work ethic says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

The Job Opportunities Package, first announced in 2009 and then expanded in 2010, provides employers with a $5,000 subsidy to create a position for an unskilled 16 to 24 year old.

“We know that the younger a person is when they first go on an Unemployment Benefit the harder it is for them to come off it,” says Ms Bennett.

Recently released figures show that Work and Income are helping more people in need says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“Special Needs Grants for hardship have increased by over 50 per cent since March 2008,” says Ms Bennett.

“So yes, that does mean that more people have been asking for help, but it also means that they getting it,” says Ms Bennett.

In March this year Work and Income granted 57,831 Special Needs Grants to people who needed help with their weekly living costs.

The number of New Zealanders on a benefit fell by 12,531 during March says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“While it is encouraging to see another drop in benefit numbers I want to caution against getting too optimistic on the basis of these figures,” says Ms Bennett.

The 3.6 per cent decrease in overall benefit figures to 331,529 was characterised by another drop in the number of people on an Unemployment Benefit, which fell to 59,940 during March.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett today paid tribute to departing Ministry of Social Development Chief Executive Peter Hughes.

“After a nearly a decade in the job Peter Hughes is moving on and I wish him all the best, he has done an outstanding job leading MSD,” says Ms Bennett.

"A job of this magnitude demands a long tenure and Peter Hughes absolutely gave it one hundred percent," says Ms Bennett.

Mr Hughes will remain in the role until September when his contract expires.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says benefits and superannuation will increase for more than one million New Zealanders from tomorrow.

“We’ve locked the Annual General Adjustment into legislation to give certainty,” says Ms Bennett.

Main benefits, Superannuation and Student Allowance rates, all increase from April 1 to reflect increases to the Consumer Price Index.

Main benefits will increase by 3.75% from 1 April 2011, this includes the GST compensation component of 2.02% added in 1 October 2010.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has announced extended support for employees who have lost their jobs due to the earthquake.

The current Job Loss Cover for displaced employees will be extended by two weeks to April 18 then replaced with an Individual Support Payment.

“People who lost their jobs and have no option to stay with their original employer will get support as they look for alternative work,” says Ms Bennett.

A second round of assistance will support viable Christchurch businesses and help individuals who have lost jobs as a result of the earthquake.

“This second phase is designed to help employers transition into longer term solutions,” says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

The current Earthquake Support Subsidy (ESS) to help employers keep paying wages, will be extended for two weeks to 18 April, followed by a further six-week round with tighter criteria.

The next round will be available to employers who:

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is announcing significant changes to New Zealand’s flagship early intervention programme Family Start, to get better outcomes for families and children.

Independent reviews of Family Start commissioned by the Minister have found providers vary in effectiveness and practice standards.

“We know early intervention works, we believe it’s the right approach, but reviews show the programme’s focus has drifted over time,” says Ms Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is delighted to join Auckland Mayor Len Brown in co-chairing the new Auckland Social Policy Forum.

The Forum, due to meet for the first time tomorrow, brings local and central government together to work on Auckland’s social issues collaboratively.

“I felt it was important to walk beside the new Auckland City Council and address social issues together, to make a real difference,” says Ms Bennett.

The number of New Zealanders on a benefit decreased by nearly 10,000 during February says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

There are 344,060 people on a benefit now, down from 354,058 in January.

“Over February, the number of people on an Unemployment Benefit fell by 3,779 and young people account for half of that decline,” says Ms Bennett.

The number of people on an Unemployment Benefit is now 64,308, down from 68,087 in January.

There will be eight new Christchurch Recovery Assistance Centres in the hardest hit areas of Christchurch, six of which will open tomorrow says Social Development Minster Paula Bennett.

“These Centres will provide a range of services to people in localised areas in Christchurch, particularly the Eastern Suburbs,” says Ms Bennett.

"Welfare Centres are closing down so that for example Burnside High School can get back to being a school, " says Ms Bennett.