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Children in care are benefiting from a life-changing government initiative to ensure health, mental health and educational needs are addressed.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says the $43.7 million Children in Care package has been well justified.

Children come into State care because they have been seriously abused or neglected and their life experiences often include exposure to domestic violence, drug abuse, gang culture and criminal behaviour.

The Government has received the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group’s report “Solutions to Child Poverty”, and will consider its 78 recommendations, Finance Minister Bill English and Social Development Minister Paula Bennett say.

“The Government acknowledges that many families are finding times challenging, and I thank the group for its report, which feeds into a great deal of work that is already underway,” Mr English says.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett today announced the launch of a new contestable fund to improve youth mental health information for parents, families and friends.

“We need better information for those closest to young people, who’re often the first to notice signs of mental health problems but don’t always know when to be concerned and what to do,” says Mrs Bennett.

Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett today met with Auckland Sexual Abuse Helpline (ASAH) and agreed to an interim funding arrangement with contributions from Health, Social Development and Police.

“I met with ASAH today, I’ve heard their concerns and the Government is prepared to step in to keep the service running without interruption,” says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

They have also committed to a sustainable three year contract with negotiations to be finalised in April 2013.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is delighted to announce that former Governor General the Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand will lead the Expert Advisory Group on Information Security.

The Group will oversee implementation of the Vulnerable Kids Information System (ViKi) and new Risk Predictor Tool which have the capacity to better protect children from abuse and neglect.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett today announced two new appointments to the Families Commission.

Sir Peter Gluckman and Belinda Milnes have been appointed to the Board of the Families Commission for a period of three years.

The Families Commission is currently undergoing a restructure to assume its new role providing independent monitoring, evaluation and research.

“We’ve appointed the best people for the job to oversee a major change programme within the Families Commission,” says Mrs Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has announced the second Vulnerable Children’s Team will be rolled out in Whangarei.

“Children who are at risk of abuse or neglect need professionals who bring their expertise to the table and work in a coordinated manner putting the child at the centre of all decision making.”

“Professionals from a range of disciplines can act before children suffer serious abuse and prevent the worst from happening,” says Mrs Bennett.

Foster Care Awareness Week begins with excellence awards for foster carers today, culminating with the William Wallace Awards on Friday.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says work on the White Paper for Vulnerable Children is moving ahead with the review of the Child Youth and Family complaints process already underway.

“I felt it was important we get an independent reviewer to look at whether there needs to be an independent complaints body for CYF.”

“This is something that came up at Green Paper meetings and in public submissions, so New Zealanders have been heard and we are responding,” says Mrs Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett expects the independent investigation into Work and Income computer systems to give the public assurances that security is robust and private information is safe.

“I’m deeply disappointed information which should have been secure has been accessed, the public has a right to expect more of a government agency,” says Mrs Bennett.

“I’ve demanded answers as to how a journalist managed to gain access to files and I am appalled that it was possible, even with a level of skill.”

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett announced the first Children's Team will be trialled in Rotorua to local community groups today.

"A vital initiative in the White Paper will be local Children's Teams that bring professionals together to make individualised plans for vulnerable children."

"These teams will in most cases be acting before children have suffered serious abuse, so we can get ahead of the problem," says Mrs Bennett.

The White Paper for Vulnerable Children is bigger than politics. It is bigger than any one individual. It is not only for this generation of children, but also for their children and their grandchildren.

We are all responsible for the welfare and wellbeing of our children. Too many children are seriously abused and neglected. In many cases of extreme abuse a range of people held some information but no one put all the pieces together. It is time for fundamental change.

Introduction

Take care of our children, take care of what they hear, take care of what they see, take care of what they feel.

For how the children grow, so will be the shape of Aotearoa.

The work I introduce today is for the broken and the neglected, for those children that need us most as parents, neighbours, practitioners, politicians, and carers and as New Zealanders.

To honour Dame Whina Cooper's words; this is a new way of caring for our most vulnerable children.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has released the White Paper for Vulnerable Children today at the Jigsaw national conference in Wellington.

"We will target support and services to our most vulnerable children through more than 30 new initiatives introduced in the White Paper," says Mrs Bennett.

"Too many New Zealand children are seriously abused and neglected. In many cases of extreme abuse a range of people held some information but no one put all the pieces together, it is time for fundamental change," she says.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett and Immigration Minister Nathan Guy have today announced a further boost to recruitment for the Christchurch rebuild through a new Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub.

"Helping people into work on the Christchurch rebuild is a key priority for this Government and a streamlined business friendly recruitment process is vital," says Mrs Bennett.

September has seen a small increase in the number of people on benefits says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

Over the last few months the total number of people on benefits has held at between 321,000 and 319,000.

Benefit figures rose by 0.5 per cent to 320,942 compared with 328,496 in September 2011. This is the lowest overall benefit figure for September since 2008.

“There are over 7,500 fewer people on a benefit this September than last, and we need to work hard to ensure this overall decline continues,” says Mrs Bennett.

Holiday programmes introduced by the National Government have been enjoyed by more than 65,000 children from high need communities.

Breakaway programmes for 11 to 17-year-olds are targeted to young people who wouldn’t normally have access to school holiday programmes.

“Young people from stressed families in high-deprivation areas often have little to do in the holidays. We wanted to provide a fun, structured and safe environment for young people to enjoy, which won’t cost their parents a cent.”

E nga mana, e nga reo, e te iwi o te motu, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa

I would like to acknowledge the Dean of Medicine Sunny Collins and Otago University Wellington for generously hosting us this evening and the Health and Disability Panel for their advice and expertise.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is visiting social workers today as part of National Social Worker’s Day.

“Every day around 1,300 Child, Youth and Family social workers head out the door to work with this country’s most vulnerable children and their families and they literally save lives,” says Mrs Bennett.

CYF social workers deal with more than 400 notifications of abuse and neglect every day in New Zealand.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett today introduced the second stage of legislation to comprehensively reform the welfare system.

“In line with our manifesto commitments, the Government is taking an active, work-based approach,” says Mrs Bennett.

The Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill includes simplified benefit categories, a greater work focus, new expectations for partners of beneficiaries, work preparation activities.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has announced further detail on the investment approach and the actuarial valuation of the welfare system.

“The lifetime cost of the current beneficiary population has been put at $78 billion by experts,” says Mrs Bennett.

“The investment approach will change the entire focus of the welfare system so that support is invested where it will make the biggest difference.”

Incorporating important health and wellbeing goals into welfare reform will help ensure children get the best possible start in life says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“Social obligations will ensure dependent children of beneficiaries access and benefit from vital education and health services,” says Mrs Bennett.

“These services are particularly important for vulnerable children as many currently miss out; we have an opportunity to address this through reforms.”

The number of people on benefits has fallen in the last month says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“It’s good to see the number of people on all benefits has declined by more than a thousand in August, including a drop in Unemployment Benefits, but we still have a lot of work to do,” says Mrs Bennett.

There are now 319,327 people on a benefit in New Zealand, with 50,283 on Unemployment Benefits.

Over the last twelve months the Unemployment Benefit has decreased by more than 5,600, and young people constitute 10 per cent of that drop.

People with outstanding arrest warrants will no longer receive a benefit while evading Police says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“Of the approximately 15,000 people with a current arrest warrant, around 8,200 are on benefits,” says Mrs Bennett.

“If someone has an unresolved arrest warrant we will stop their benefit until they do the right thing and come forward to the authorities.”