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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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

I would like to acknowledge some of those people who have been instrumental in this agreement being forged between Ngapuhi and Child, Youth and Family.

From Ngapuhi can I acknowledge the Chairman, Sonny Tau and Chief Executive, George Riley. Here today from Child, Youth and Family can I also acknowledge Deputy Chief Executive, Bernadine Mackenzie and General Manager of Operations, Marama Edwards.

Child, Youth and Family and Te Rūnanga Ā Iwi O Ngāpuhi have formally agreed to work together to protect and nurture children says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

“Ngapuhi are the first iwi to reach this milestone which marks a huge step towards better child protection in Northland,” says Mrs Bennett.

The Memorandum of Understanding between Child, Youth and Family and Te Rūnanga Ā Iwi O Ngāpuhi commits to open discussion, joint decision making and information sharing.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has welcomed the draft report into child poverty released through the Children’s Commissioner today.

“The Expert Advisory Group has worked hard to address the complex issues surrounding poverty which cut across social development, health, housing, education and other areas,” says Mrs Bennett.

There are a large number of proposals and recommendations contained in the report which could be considered by a range of government agencies.

Today marks the start of comprehensive Youth Services for disengaged young people says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

More than $148 million in wrap around support services will help young people on benefit and those at risk of going onto benefit, to be independent.

“Youth Services start from today, but will be transitioned in over time as each individual is matched with a service provider,” says Mrs Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says that benefit figures remain below recent levels despite a small rise in the number of people on benefits over the past month.

Benefit numbers rose by 0.1 per cent (433) over July to 320,474. The lowest total benefit figure for July since 2009.

“The total number of people on benefits has risen slightly as seasonal employment continues to slow during July,” says Mrs Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has released a summary of submissions to the Green Paper for Vulnerable Children and over 600 full submissions from various organisations.

“When I began this process in July last year it was the first time in 14 years that a Government had brought a Green Paper to the New Zealand public,” says Mrs Bennett.

“The Green Paper itself was written to spark debate among the public and professionals and was followed up by unique and truly open consultation,” she said.

In Christchurch today Social Development Minister Paula Bennett visited employers working alongside Work and Income to give New Zealanders jobs.

“Hawkins Construction and Fletcher Building have shown a real commitment to recruiting Cantabrians who’ve been relying on benefits,” says Mrs Bennett.

Today Fletcher Building announced a Work and Income manager will oversee recruitment of locals from the company headquarters while an on-site Work and Income work broker helps Hawkins Construction place people with their Canterbury based sub-contractors.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has announced that a tailored version of the Toolbox parenting programme will be provided free to grandparents raising grandchildren.

“We asked the Parenting Place to provide practical support through the Toolbox programme for people who take in and care for children.”

“This is a specific, tailored programme that will help grandparents raising grandchildren with the skills to parent today’s children,” says Mrs Bennett.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has announced a funding boost for community groups providing budgeting services.

A one-off boost of $589,000 will benefit 155 organisations currently funded by the Ministry of Social Development to deliver budgeting services.

“In recognition of the fact these services are coping with an increased demand, this funding is designed to alleviate some of that pressure.”

The Government spends $8.9 million a year on budgeting services, funding 155 organisations which aim to: