Fact Sheet: Child, Youth and Family: Reviews of Care and Protection Systems EXG Reviews Information Release

What was the main purpose of the review?#

The main purpose of the two Child, Youth and Family reviews was the identification of measures to improve the sustainability of the care and protection system. The reviews considered progress made since the 2003 Baseline Review in the key areas of demand for statutory care and protection services, and provision of care services to children and young people with established care and protection concerns. The reviews developed options to build on this progress.

The Review of Demand was primarily concerned with addressing the rapid rise in demand for statutory care and protection services, expressed through significant increases in notifications to Child, Youth and Family over the past five years.

The Review of Permanency was primarily concerned with ensuring that children and young people who need care experience stability, restoration of wellbeing, and long term belonging and safely, either at home or with caregivers.

What were the main findings?#

The main findings of the reviews were that:

• Child, Youth and Family is well placed to respond to the challenges of increased demand and increasing requirements for care services. The work undertaken since the Baseline Review in management of notifications and the development of the Permanency Policy have established a firm platform to go forward. The recent merger of the Department of Child Youth and Family with the Ministry of Social Development will provide ongoing support for Child, Youth and Family and improve the co-ordination of services for children and families with care and protection concerns
• Improving care services requires inter-sectoral collaboration, particularly between the health and education sectors and social services
• There is an important role for family support services provided by the Non Government Organisation (NGO) sector in partnership with government, both to address the causes of abuse that leads to demand for care and protection services, and to provide interventions to restore the wellbeing of children and young people who have experienced abuse and neglect.

The Demand Review found that:#

• Child, Youth and Family is a major contact point for families in need who do not meet the threshold for statutory care and protection services
• Notification rates will continue to respond to changing societal attitudes and the ability of families to access their support needs
• Referrals from Police arising from family violence incidents are the biggest driver of increases in notifications
• Key programmes already contribute to improved management of demand for statutory care and protection services:
• The Differential Response Model (DRM), currently being tested, will enable earlier, more targeted access to support services for families that do not meet the threshold for a statutory investigation but still require assistance
• Local collaboration between Child, Youth and Family, Police and NGOs to manage family violence incidents and provide alternative responses, in the context of the Taskforce on Family Violence
• The new strategic management information system at Child, Youth and Family that will enable measurement of outcomes and better tracking of key activity indicators
• The Families Young and Old Priorities of early intervention, eliminating family violence, and strengthening the family support sector will all contribute to management of demand.

The Permanency Review found that:#

• Children and young people requiring care services include groups with high and very high needs relating to their mental health issues, disabilities and experiences of abuse and neglect, and family circumstances
• The parents of children and young people who require care often have high needs, often relating to mental health issues including drugs and alcohol
• There is a need to change the balance of expenditure on care to ensure greater investment in interventions to support families and caregivers to understand and manage children’s needs and behaviour
• The majority of children and young people who require care services are cared for in the long run by their families
• Support for understanding and managing the needs and behaviour of children and young people in care is as important as financial assistance.

What changes will be made as a result? What will be the benefits?#

• Local management of family violence notifications through the Family Violence Management Strategy (joint Police and Child, Youth and Family initiative)
• National roll-out of the Differential Response Model (subject to legislative change)
• An enhanced Child, Youth and Family Call Centre that will support early referral to family support services for those in need that do not meet the threshold for statutory intervention
• A National Plan to guide the purchase of family support services that are critical for the delivery of care and protection services
• Development of joined up support services for caregivers
• Comprehensive health, educational and psychological assessment of all children and young people entering care
• More comprehensive information on children and young people in care and their needs
• Improved access to health and education services for children and young people in care through better local collaboration and inter-sectoral planning specifically for this group
• A focus on the outcomes arising from expenditure on managing demand and providing care services through adoption of two key outcome measures for the Ministry of Social Development.
• The benefits from the changes will be improvements in the organisation and delivery of care services to children and young people with care and protection concerns.

In what areas did the review confirm that current practice is appropriate and providing value-for-money?#

All existing work in the areas of demand management and management of care services is contributing to greater sustainability of the care and protection service.

 #

What are the next steps?#

The next steps involve the development of a work programme and governance to integrate the results of the EXG Reviews into existing work programmes. The governance framework will include provision for inter-sectoral work and collaboration with the NGO sector involved in family support services. These are being developed now and will be finalised in the first quarter of 2007. Some elements of the work programme are being scoped and will be started at the beginning of 2007.