Briefing to the Incoming Government 2017

An Aotearoa New Zealand where every child shines brightNgā Tamariki

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Kia eke ai te hunga taitamariki ki ngā rangi tūhāhā

Realisation and development for all children

Barnardos New Zealand - Briefing to the Incoming Government 2017

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Barnardos is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest

charitable organisation here for all children and

tamariki, working with children, their families

and whānau every day. We know Aotearoa New

Zealand’s children and families well and they know

and trust us. As our poutama stated above reflects,

we have high hopes for every child in our country

to be the best they can be, from the moment they

are born and as they grow up. That’s why we are

working towards the vision of “An Aotearoa New

Zealand Where Every Child Shines Bright”. We

look forward to working with Government to help

develop, shape and implement solutions that will

advance children’s rights and well-being.

Our 730 staff working around New Zealand see

children’s potential every day, first-hand. We also

see that many children are growing up in complex

circumstances and influenced by multiple stressors,

affecting their ability to realise their potential. But

we believe in the great potential of every child,

and we know that Government shares our vision to

improve children’s well-being. It was good to see

issues such as child poverty, household incomes

and healthy housing debated over the course of

the Election campaign; we urge you to fulfil your

commitments for children and to progress children’s

rights and well-being even further.

In this Briefing, we provide background information

about Barnardos, what we do and why we do it.

We present five key priority areas we see as crucial

for Government – working with civil society and

organisations such as Barnardos – to focus on,

to achieve progress and meaningful outcomes

making a difference in the lives of all our children

and tamariki. We also note the factors we see as

necessary for NGOs such as Barnardos to continue

making a significant contribution to our society’s

well-being and sustainability.

Children make up almost a quarter of our

population; they are both the present and the future

of our country. Getting it right for them means

getting it right for all of us. We welcome the new

Government’s strong commitments to do better for

Aotearoa New Zealand’s children. We look forward

to working with Government and collaborating to

make Aotearoa New Zealand a place where every

child can develop to reach their potential, no matter

who they are or the circumstances they are born

into. We will achieve this by ensuring children are

safe, loved and supported, by valuing children and

their experiences and by ensuring every child the

opportunities they need to shine.

Ngā manaakitanga, nā māua noa, nā

Jeff Sanders Chief Executive

James Te Puni Board Chair

Tēnā koe from our Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer

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Kei a mātou e mahi ana penei

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

Barnardos is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest children’s charity. We have been working with New Zealand children for over 50 years and we are here for all Kiwi kids. Our vi-sion is “An Aotearoa New Zealand where every child shines bright”. We believe that no matter where or what circum-stances a child is born into, they have the potential to shine bright. We see it as our collective responsibility – all people living in New Zealand – to support their flourishing and development. That is why we actively encourage everyone to ‘do more for Kiwi kids’.

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Our guiding principles underpin all of our work

KOTAHITANGA UNITYWe build reciprocal and cooperative relationships which create a sense of connection and belonging.

KAIKŌKIRITANGA PROGRESS WITH PURPOSE We are visionary, we inspire, we are creative and show initiative to make change happen.

MAHI TŌTIKA DO THE RIGHT THINGS WELLWe do the right things the right way, with integrity and purpose.

ATA WHAKARONGO HEAR WITH INTENT We listen carefully and our actions are guided by the voices of the tamariki/children and whānau/families we serve.

MĀIATANGA REALISE POTENTIAL We have the courage and strength to achieve growth, development and transformation.

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Barnardos Early Learning (BEL) provides quality

early childhood education (ECE) through our early

learning centres and home-based education and care.

Our early learning services operate on a not-for-profit

basis and are available for all children and tamari-

ki aged zero to five years old. Through the tailored

learning and care which children and tamariki are a

part of with Barnardos, they are supported from their

very first years of life to shine bright and develop an

understanding of themselves, those around them and

the world they are a part of. Our early learning centres

are located in diverse communities and embody the

spirit and values of their communities.1 Through ECE,

Barnardos works to ensure children have a positive

start in life and are supported along a path to positive

educational and lifetime outcomes. Our ECE develops

strong connections and networks in Aotearoa’s com-

munities among children, families and whānau.

Barnardos Child and Family Services (CAFS) delivers

services from before birth, to children during early

childhood, throughout childhood and adolescence,

and after children turn 18. Our CAFS staff are pre-

dominantly professional experienced social workers,

and our work contributes to real, positive change in

the individual lives of children and their families and

whānau. This is the case whether it is through ear-

ly intervention programmes for vulnerable children

and their parents such as Family Start; by supervis-

ing children’s contact with a parent or family mem-

ber; through our Social Workers in Schools Service;

through providing foster care; and working with

families and whānau to prevent family violence and

child abuse by equipping them with positive and prac-

tical parenting and communication skills and strate-

gies. Some of our CAFS work is targeted, supporting

particularly vulnerable individual children and their

families,2 while other services we provide are universal,

available for all Kiwi kids.3

Working with children and tamariki every day

Barnardos delivers services for children and their families and whānau every day across two operational arms.

1 Barnardos’ first early learning centre opened in Mangere in 1972. Today we have 24 early learning centres across the North and South Is-lands, and 21 home-based care and learning networks. 2 E.g. the residential care and specialist care homes we run for adolescent males, and the Intensive Wraparound Service we facilitate for stu-dents with high and complex behavioural and learning needs.3 Such as Barnardos 0800 What’s Up. Any child can contact 0800 What’s Up by phone or online messaging for help or to discuss anything they want to with trained counsellors.

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Because of the wide range of services we deliver and

the diverse group of children and families we reach,

and because we are focused on providing the best

quality services and support we can to children and

families, our work positively impacts individual lives

and is intergenerational in effect. Alongside and draw-

ing on what we know from our operational work, we

advocate for the rights and well-being of all children

in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our advocacy is construc-

tive, focusing on amplifying and elevating children’s

experiences and voices. Our advocacy is strongly

informed by what children tell us, children’s experienc-

es and sound research and evidence. We seek to bring

children to the forefront of policy, legislation and deci-

sion-making in New Zealand, and to achieve systemic

and sustainable change so that all children grow up

safe, supported, loved and respected, and can go on

to thrive and contribute in adulthood.

To achieve positive outcomes for children in Aotearoa

New Zealand, as well as the services we deliver on our

own, Barnardos collaborates and partners with others

to achieve impact together. Barnardos is a key Oran-

ga Tamariki stakeholder and is contracted to deliver

a range of services for Oranga Tamariki.4 We have a

broad range of relationships with Government, cur-

rently also delivering contracted services for the Minis-

tries of Education,5 Justice6 and Social Development.7

We partner with a range of iwi and Māori organisa-

tions, other NGOs and charitable organisations,8 and

child advocacy organisations and coalitions.9 At the

heart of all Barnardos’ partnerships is a shared kaupa-

pa: a belief in the potential of New Zealand’s children,

their inherent rights, and an urgency to attend to their

needs and support them to shine bright.

Advocating for children and tamariki

Working together for children and tamariki

4 Currently Barnardos delivers services and programmes for Oranga Tamariki including the following: Children’s Safety Programme; Family Start; Foster Care; LEAP; Parent Mentoring Programme | Paiheretanga; Women’s Safety Programmes. Barnardos also receives referrals from Oranga Tamariki for children to be cared for in our Specialist Group Homes and Te Poutama Ārahi Rangatahi. 5 Barnardos delivers the Intensive Wraparound Service facilitator service for Ministry of Education. 6 Barnardos currently delivers services for the Ministry of Justice including Children’s Supervised Contact and Parenting Through Separation. Barnardos also receives referrals from the Ministry of Justice for its Footsteps to Feeling Safe Programme. 7 Starting in November 2017, Barnardos will deliver the Family Breakdown Assessment Service for the Ministry of Social Development. 8 E.g. Barnardos partners with Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri and Te Roopu o Te Whānau Rangimarie to provide support to high risk families and whānau impacted by family violence in South Auckland. 9 E.g. Barnardos is a member of Every Child Counts, alongside Plunket, Mana Ririki, Save the Children and UNICEF New Zealand.

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He aha ai mātou e mahi penei

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

By working with children and tamariki at all stages of their lives and in diverse circumstances, Barnardos knows New Zealand’s children really well. We see up close and hear first-hand the aspi-rations and hopes, anxieties and fears of our children and tamari-ki, young people and rangatahi. Most children in New Zealand are growing up safe, supported and loved by family, with strong friendship and community networks, thriving cultural links, posi-tive role models, accessing quality education, encouraged to learn and grow, and celebrated as individual people whose ideas, feel-ings and experiences are valued and listened to. Unfortunately however, right now childhood is not as positive as it should be for all children growing up in in Aotearoa New Zealand.

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Too many children are growing up in New Zealand

in homes or communities where they feel unsafe or

are victims of abuse and violence. Too many children

are feeling anxious, lonely or disconnected from

their families and whānau and/or their peers. Too

many are living in conditions of material hardship

creating negative impacts on their health, meaning

they can’t go to school regularly, or their learning

is negatively impacted. And some children feel so

worthless, hopeless, angry, lonely or sad that they

choose to take their own lives rather than continue

experiencing childhood and their lives ahead.

Barnardos believes that no matter who a child is

or where in New Zealand they are growing up,

they have the right to a childhood where they can

shine bright. This means that from their early years,

children they feel loved, supported, valued and

respected. They have a strong sense of who they are

and meaningful connections with their culture. They

can access quality education in early childhood and

beyond, and know that they will be able to access

help and professional, specialist support services if

they need them, in ways that will work for them. This

is why Barnardos does the work we do throughout

Aotearoa New Zealand and why we strive to do

more for Kiwi kids. It is also why we encourage

others to come along with us to do more, together.

We still have a way to go to build a country where

we can all be proud of how children are treated in

our society. There is even further to go achieve truly

transformational change where a culture exists in

New Zealand where we celebrate all children and

the potential they have, and where their rights

and well-being are things we are all committed

to and invested in protecting. However, through

concerted, focused efforts, genuine collaboration

and partnership, and through planning, monitoring

and effort, we can achieve this change.

In the next section we highlight the five areas

Barnardos sees as opportunities for priority

Government attention and action over the next

three years.

We welcome the commitments the new Government has already made to creating better lives for children and to uphold children’s dignity and protect and promote the well-being of all children in New Zealand.

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Ngā meatia pai o ngā tamariki katoa

PRIORITIES FOR CHILDREN IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND

Because New Zealand is a States Party to the United Na-tions Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC), everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand has rights and respon-sibilities regarding children.10 However, the primary duty bearer role of protecting and upholding children’s rights un-der UNCROC sits with the State. The priorities identified below are areas which Barnardos is active in, and which we see opportunities existing for Government to work with us and others to make Aotearoa New Zealand a place where a culture of protecting, respecting, valuing and celebrating children becomes part of our DNA and something New Zealand is known for.

As an organisation operating for all children in

Aotearoa New Zealand, it is crucial to note howev-

er, that approximately one third of the children and

tamariki, families and whānau Barnardos works with

are Māori. Barnardos has set clear organisational

priorities which speak to Māori Development.11 From

a broader perspective, we observe that the align-

ment of Crown/Māori policy is arguably closer in

2017 than it has been at any point in recent history,

giving emphasis to Te Reo Māori, matauranga Māori

and Māori culture. This is reflected in features of the

policy landscape which have been introduced and

embedded over recent years.12 We are keen to see

Government build on the strong basis developed for

Māori development through current policy settings,

and to extend and expand on their positive effect for

all tamariki and rangatahi Māori.

10 UNCROC was signed by New Zealand on 01 October 1990 and ratified on 6 April 1993. 11 These are outlined in our current Strategic Plan (Barnardos Strategic Plan 2016-2020: An Aotearoa New Zealand Where Every Child Shines Bright) and the Barnardos Māori Strategy | Nga Pou e Wha.12 E.g. ‘the Māori potential framework’ informing Māori Development; ‘Māori Succeeding as Māori ’ informing education; He Korowai Oranga’ informing health; and and ‘He Kai Kei Aku Ringa’, informing economic development.

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All children in Aotearoa New Zealand have a right to grow up safe from abuse, neglect and violence.13

However, currently child abuse, neglect and violence is a feature of thousands of homes and

communities around Aotearoa New Zealand.14 Experiencing these things has a negative impact on any

child, and for some, that impact will be life-long. Through our work, Barnardos sees the importance of

action to prevent violence and abuse from before a child is born and during the early years of a child’s

life, as well as the importance of ensuring the appropriate interventions and support are available for

children and their families and whānau when abuse, neglect and violence occurs.

• place children at the heart of its initiatives to combat family violence, including re-looking at the Family and Whānau Violence Legislation Bill to include strong principles focusing on the rights and protection of children who experience family violence;15

• work with civil society to develop a comprehensive national strategy to combat abuse, neglect and violence against children in all settings, giving particular attention to Māori and Pasifika children and children with disabilities;16

• with the involvement of children and their families and whānau, strengthen awareness-raising and education programmes to prevent and combat child abuse;

• invest in services and programmes focused on preventative and early intervention to prevent child abuse, neglect and violence against children, particularly services and programmes which are grounded in a strengths-based model;17

• invest in evidence-based bullying prevention programmes and education in all New Zealand schools; and

• ensure that comprehensive and transparent measures of children’s rights and well-being are included in the comprehensive set of environmental, social and economic sustainability indicators which Government has committed to developing.18

Priority One:All children grow up safe and well

Barnardos calls on Government to:

Through 0800 What’s Up and the insights it provides regarding children and young people as a

population group in Aotearoa New Zealand, Barnardos knows that it is a complex and challenging time

to be a child or young person. The mental health of all New Zealanders – but especially young New

Zealanders and tamariki and rangatahi Māori – requires urgent attention and investment by Government.

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13 Art. 19 UNCROC: “States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.” Also N.B. Sustainable Development Goal 16.2: “End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture of children”. See UN General Assembly Res. 70/1 Trans-forming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted 25 September 2015, at p.25. For more information on SDG 16.2 see The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children: http://www.end-violence.org14 The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has identified violence, abuse and neglect against children as being an issue requiring urgent measures to be undertaken by the New Zealand Government. See UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of New Zealand, CRC/C/NZL/CO/5, 21 October 2016, at [23]. 15 See Barnardos Submission to the Justice and Electoral Select Committee on the Family and Whanau Violence Legislation Bill, 31 May 2017, p.5ff. 16 This was recommended by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its most recent Concluding observations on New Zealand, at [23](c).17 This was recommended by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its most recent Concluding observations on New Zealand, at [23](g), with a particular focus on Māori and Pasifika children and children with disabilities. 18 The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended in its most recent Concluding observations on New Zealand at [10](a) that New Zealand “develop a comprehensive mechanism of data collection and an information system on all areas of the Convention. The data should be disaggregated by age, sex, disability, geographic location, ethnic origin, nationality and socioeconomic background, to facilitate analysis on the situation of children, and particularly Maori and Pasifika children, children in case, children with disabilities, children living in poverty, refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant children and children in other situations of vulnerability”. The Committee has stated that the data and indicators should be used by Government to inform its work and should take into account the conceptual and methodological framework set out by the UN High Commissioner for Human rights in Human Rights Indicators: A Guide to Measurement and Implementation when defining, collecting and disseminating statistical information. See [10](b)-(c) of the Concluding Observations 2016.

We urge Government to commit to working towards achieving a goal of New Zealand being a country where no child or young person commits suicide. Barnardos has made comprehensive recommendations for practical steps which we are calling on Government to take in this space in our submission to the Ministry of Health on its draft Sui-cide Prevention Strategy 2017. We will be happy to support Government in the development of policies and initiatives to prevent child and youth suicide.

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Barnardos has worked with children living in poverty throughout its history, and like many other

organisations working with children and families and whānau in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are concerned

by the impact of the inequality which has developed in our country. In particular, New Zealand’s high child

poverty rates19 require action to be urgently addressed. In our work with children, families and whānau,

Barnardos sees the negative impact a lack of household income can have on children. This impact is even

more marked for children living in households where multiple stressors are present, and a lack of income

can often prove to be a stressor which has a trigger effect (for example, creating conditions where ill

health develops or family violence, child abuse and/or neglect can occur). We see the impacts that living in

material hardship has on children: low-quality and unhealthy housing, poor health outcomes, an inability to

access or fully engage in education, and stigmatisation, social exclusion and isolation. In a developed and

comparatively ‘rich’ nation such as New Zealand, we can and must do better for all children.

• commit to a systematic action plan (developed in consultation with civil society) to end child poverty in New Zealand, with transparent, actionable and measurable reduction targets, and annually report on progress against the plan;20

• develop and implement a national housing plan, paying particular attention to the provision of safe and healthy housing to all children;21 and

• invest in research and collaboration with civil society to better understand the causal impact of household income on children’s well-being outcomes, and to explore further the potential positive impact of a Universal Child Payment for children in Aotearoa New Zealand.22

Priority Two:Ending child poverty

Barnardos calls on Government to:

19 See Simpson J, Duncanson M, Oben G, Wicken A, Gallagher S., Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report 2016, http://www.nzchildren.co.nz/and http://www.childpoverty.co.nz/20 The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its most recent Concluding observations on New Zealand (at [36](a)) recommended New Zealand “introduce a systemic approach to addressing child poverty, in particular Māori and Pasifika children, including establishing a national definition of poverty” and (at [36](d)) “consider holding targeted consultations with families, children and children’s rights civil society organisations on the issue of child poverty, with a view to strengthening the strategies and measures for fulfilling children’s rights in poverty reduction strategies.” We note and welcome the new Government’s commitment to introducing legislation with the purpose of reducing and eradicating child poverty, which will also define measures of child poverty. 21 The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its most recent Concluding observations on New Zealand (at [36](c)) recommended New Zealand “strengthen its social protection mechanisms and intensify its efforts to provide safe and adequate housing to all children”. We note and welcome the Government’s announcement to establish a Housing Commission and hope that it will, in collaboration with other agencies (such as the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and NGOs working in the housing sector) place a significant focus on upholding and promoting the well-being and rights of children through healthy and safe housing. 22 Barnardos advocates for the introduction of a Universal Child Payment (UCP) for all children in their early years, paid at a rate that will make a real and sustainable difference for children. We have recently commissioned NZIER to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of a UCP for children aged 0-3 on this basis. We will be happy to discuss the results of that work with Government, as it provides helpful indications of further research which can be undertaken to better understand the likely impacts of a UCP on children in New Zealand, including on reducing child poverty.

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Through the work Barnardos does to support Aotearoa New Zealand’s most vulnerable children, we

understand the significant impact that experiencing trauma in any form has on children. Children who

experience trauma need particular support and professional services which are tailored to their needs.

Receiving the appropriate support and services at the right time can be life-changing for a child who has

experienced trauma. We also know that children in State or alternative family care arrangements are at

particular risk of on-going trauma, but that with the right systems settings and mechanisms in place, this can

be prevented, and children and young people in alternative care can shine bright in childhood and go on to

thrive in adulthood.

• ensure the provision of the right services in a timely manner for children who are most vulnerable,23 alongside the provision of universal services and support for all children;

• in all its decisions and actions concerning children, treat children holistically and consistently with what is in their best interests;

• invest and fully resource programmes and services which are most likely (based on qualitative and/or quantitative evidence) to address the complex needs of the most vulnerable children;24

• focus particular efforts on achieving improvements in care outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori in ways which are culturally-led and strengths-based;25 and

• ensure that children and young people are consulted in any review or overhaul of the welfare system, so that any changes and improvements are informed by the lived experience of this population group.

Priority Three:Supporting our most vulnerable children

Barnardos calls on Government to:

23 E.g. availability and timely delivery of support through child mental health services, provision of Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour to support children’s individual learning and development needs. 24 The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its most recent Concluding observations on New Zealand (at [28](d)) recommended New Zealand “improve the data collection on children’s outcomes, including regarding education, health and well-being, while they are in care and after they leave care, to adopt evidence-based approaches to improving the care and protection system”. It is also important that Govern-ment recognises that delivering outcomes for our most vulnerable children will more often than not need to take into account complex and multiple drivers of vulnerability, and programmes and services should be designed and delivered in ways that address these. 25 The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its most recent Concluding observations on New Zealand (at [28](b)) recommended New Zealand “strengthen its efforts to improve the cultural capability of the care and protection system and its engagement with Maori communi-ties, the whānau, hapū and iwi, including by implementing the Children’s Commissioner’s 2015 report entitled “State of Care”, with a view to addressing the overrepresentation of Māori children in State care.”

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Having access to quality early childhood education is proven to positively impact lifetime outcomes. That’s why

Barnardos believes in every child having the opportunity to access quality ECE. However, funding of ECE affects

quality, and because of the intergenerational impact that education has, inadequate investment in ECE now will

likely have a kick-on effect in social and economic terms down the track. The per-child hourly rate of funding

for ECE has been effectively static since 2008 and Barnardos is concerned about the impact this is having on

quality.26 Combined with a lack of Government investment in professional development for ECE teachers, this

is impacting the ability of ECE providers to attract qualified teachers. The resulting shortage of qualified ECE

teachers is a New Zealand-wide trend but is particularly evident in Auckland.27

• increase the per-child hourly rate of funding to ECE which has not received any meaningful increase since 2008;

• commit to working towards funding 100% qualified teaching staff in teacher-led ECE centres;

• increase investment in professional learning and development of ECE teachers, recognising the need for their ongoing professional development and the role they play in communities as key sources of support for children, parents, families and whānau;

• increase investment in Educational Review Office (ERO) resourcing to improve consistency of ERO reviews of ECE alongside other parts of the education system, and to improve evaluative quality of ERO reviews of the ECE sector;

• work with the ECE sector and experts to co-design a plan with specific, time-bound goals to improve the participation of hard-to-reach children and children with high and complex needs in quality ECE; and

• facilitate a sector-wide conversation on a shared vision and strategy for ECE in Aotearoa New Zealand, to ensure improvement and future-proofing of the sector and quality ECE for children at all points on the learning and development spectrum.

Priority Four:Quality early childhood education for every child

To improve equity and quality of ECE for all children in Aotearoa New Zealand, Barnardos calls on the Government to:

26 For further discussion also see Infometrics, Proposed ECE Funding Changes, costings prepared for NZEI Te Riu Roa, March 2017.27 Other factors we are aware are contributing to the difficulty attracting qualified ECE teachers to the Auckland market are the high costs of housing and transport.

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28 Article 12 UNCROC.29 See UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, General comment No. 19 (2016) on public budgeting for the realization of children’s rights (art.4) and OECD, OECD Best Practices for Budget Transparency, 2002.

Almost all decisions Government takes will affect children in New Zealand either directly or indirectly. This

includes government spending, and public investment in children is important to contribute to a sustainable

future for Aotearoa New Zealand, and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, children have

very little visibility or voice in the processes of Government, and until they become adults, do not have a right to

vote. This is despite the fact that under UNCROC, children have a right to participate in matters affecting them28

and the reality that children have a wealth of ideas and experiences. Furthermore, it is children who will inherit

and be the future leaders of Aotearoa New Zealand. Often children have ideas and solutions to problems affecting

them that adults will not have thought of or considered. Barnardos actively works with and consults children and

young people to inform our practice, policies and advocacy. We are also developing a process whereby children

and young people play an active role in the governance of our organisation. We recognise that children’s ideas

and experiences are no less valid because of their age, and should be accorded value, worth and respect, both in

matters affecting individual children, and in matters affecting children as a population group.

• consult and collaborate with children and young people early and actively as Oranga Tamariki’s policies, processes and services are developed, and on an on-going basis, incorporate and reflect what children and young people say in Oranga Tamariki’s policies, processes and services;

• develop through a process of co-design with civil society – including with children and young people – an Action Plan for all children in Aotearoa New Zealand reflecting the standards of UNCROC and the particular needs of children in Aotearoa New Zealand, and report on progress against this plan in a transparent manner;

• require a mandatory Child Impact Assessment to be undertaken by Government agencies in the development of all new policy and legislation;

• identify and report on child focused public expenditure in the annual Government Budget cycle via specific budget lines for children, to enable greater transparency regarding the resources spent on children, to inform policy development, and to guide future decisions on the allocation and quality of public investment in children to prioritise children’s rights and well-being;29

• reinstate funding for the Growing Up in New Zealand Study to continue collecting data on its full participant cohort, to continue developing this rich data source about the experience of childhood in New Zealand and to safeguard the continued longitudinal value of the data to inform policies and services;

Priority Five:Listening to and working with children

Barnardos calls on Government to:

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• review the Social Investment Approach introduced by the former National-led Government, to ensure a focus on true social investment in people, which focuses on addressing and upholding the social needs, human rights, well-being and dignity of children and all people; and

• implement processes to increase children’s participation in the policy and legislative process, such as actively seeking and facilitating child and youth submissions on legislation before select committees, and commit to actively exploring the possibility of lowering the voting age to 16 from 2020.

He huarahi tika he huarahi pai mo ngā rōpū hapori o Aotearoa

A POSITIVE AND STABLE SPACE FOR AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND’S NGOS

NGOs and NGO social service providers of all sizes play a crucial and valuable role in Aotearoa New Zealand. Bar-nardos knows first-hand the positive outcomes which can be achieved for children in Aotearoa New Zealand when NGOs work to co-design, collaborate and partner with Government. We welcome the Government’s commit-ment to work with NGOs and other partners that share its goals and values.

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• Open, transparent and timely two-way communication, so Government and NGOs have a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities, and to foster an environment and relationships based on trust;

• Increasing investment in social service NGOs and providers, recognising that investment needs to keep pace with costs of service delivery; a shift from part-funded contracts to fully-funded contracts for social services is needed, as levels of investment directly impact on efficiency and quality of services provided;

• Developing a stable environment for NGOs and service providers to work in, via longer term contracts which provide certainty and enable NGOs to deliver as effectively as possible,30 coupled with increased streamlining of procurement, contracting and reporting systems;

• Consulting and engaging with NGOs and service providers as early as possible on the development of policies and processes, and pursuing collaboration and co-design wherever possible (for example, continuing and expanding this approach through Oranga Tamariki);

• Investing in monitoring and evaluation capability to track impacts and outcomes to produce data and insights of value to both NGOs/service providers and Government, and support NGOs and service providers with continuous improvement; and

• Acknowledging the independence of NGOs and service providers, and recognising the importance of preserving the advocacy space in which they may function and hold decision-makers accountable.

For partnerships with Government to be as effective as possible, Barnardos believes the following factors are important and necessary to be supported and effected by Government:

30 The Productivity Commission has recommended Government agencies apply a standard duration of three years to social service contracts unless risk analysis indicates otherwise. See New Zealand Productivity Commission | Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa, More Effective Social Services, 2015, p.322

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Barnardos is committed to contributing to making Aotearoa New Zealand a place where all children thrive because of good care, education, health and well-being.

A place where children feel confident and capable, resilient and culturally connected, and each with a strong sense of hope for their future.

A country which protects and upholds children’s rights and where all children are empowered to grow up and fulfil their potential, supported and nurtured by their families and whānau, friends and peers, and their communities.

An Aotearoa New Zealand where

every child shines bright.

Barnardos New Zealand - Briefing to the Incoming Government 2017

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Pārongo atu

FURTHER INFORMATION

More information on Barnardos is available on our website: www.barnardos.org.nz

For any questions you have about this Briefing, please contact:Claire AchmadManager – Child and Tamariki Advocacy

claire.achmad@barnardos.org.nz

027 5627368

barnardos.org.nz

October 2017