Open Home Foundation had 66 and in its custody in 2023/24, with custody orders sought for only one child this year. The number in its custody has been steadily declining over the last three years. Open Home Foundation told us this is because when tamariki and rangatahi return home or to , it has, where possible, moved to vary the orders from a custody order to a support order under section 91 of the Oranga Tamariki Act. A support order allows for the provision of ongoing support without retaining custody.
Open Home Foundation also told us that historically it had brought tamariki and rangatahi into its custody who had been identified as needing support through its Community 1 programme. This programme which was halted in 2015 when the then Government introduced children’s teams and diverted the funding that Open Home Foundation had up till that time received.
In 2023, Open Home Foundation decided to start this work again and began self-funding its Community Mahi. As this work picks up, it is possible it will seek custody orders for more tamariki and rangatahi noting this is always a last option. Open Home Foundation kaimahi told us they support whānau to care for their tamariki at home and utilise family group conferences to develop this plan. A custody order is only sought as a last resort to keep tamariki or rangatahi safe.
The majority of tamariki and rangatahi in Open Home Foundation custody are aged 10 years or older (88 percent) and are less likely to be Māori than those in Oranga Tamariki custody. This may be representative of the regions in which most tamariki and rangatahi in Open Home Foundation custody live, with Canterbury and Upper South (Nelson and Marlborough) regions having the highest numbers of tamariki and rangatahi in Open Home Foundation custody, followed by Manawatū, with none in the Auckland region.
Forty four percent of tamariki and rangatahi in Open Home Foundation custody have a disability (the Open Home Foundation definition of disability is broad and includes ADHD and ASD).
Open Home Foundation data shows increased compliance with the regulations for needs assessment and planning. This year Open Home Foundation has changed the way it assesses and plans with and , and caregivers. It has moved from the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment process to a new, te ao Maōri informed assessment, “Tamaiti Assessment and Plan”. This is based on its Māori model of practice called Te Aho Takitoru.
Open Home Foundation told us its social workers found the CANS assessment process time consuming and unhelpful. Even once complete, the assessments and plans created did not always evidence how the were being met or capture the views of tamariki and rangatahi in detail. In addition, the extended length of CANS assessments (up to 32 pages and taking up to eight hours to write) meant that the plans produced were not as meaningful for tamariki and rangatahi and their whānau as they should have been.
The Tamaiti Assessment and Plan creates plans that are meaningful, understandable, and better capture what tamariki and rangatahi, whānau and other professionals will be doing as part of the plan. It is also able to demonstrate how the NCS Regulations are met for tamariki and rangatahi in its custody.
Open Home Foundation told us that it is already seeing the quality of its assessments and plans improve. This aligns with its data, which shows across most measures there has been an improvement in how well needs assessments and plans take account of tamariki and rangatahi needs.
81%2021/2022 84%2022/2023 91%2023/2024
68%2021/2022 72%2022/2023 78%2023/2024
Views
83%2021/2022 92%2022/2023 98%2023/2024
Wishes
74%2021/2022 85%2022/2023 98%2023/2024
Aspirations
64%2021/2022 73%2022/2023 77%2023/2024
Strengths
91%2021/2022 96%2022/2023 89%2023/2024
Views
70%2021/2022 83%2022/2023 95%2023/2024
Wishes
61%2021/2022 75%2022/2023 92%2023/2024
Aspirations
48%2021/2022 60%2022/2023 61%2023/2024
Strengths
81%2021/2022 67%2022/2023 70%2023/2024
In our engagements with whānau of tamariki and rangatahi in Open Home Foundation custody, we heard that they felt included in decision making processes. Whānau told us that, when they know what is going on with their tamariki and rangatahi, they can better participate in decision-making and share information.
“I was there at every meeting, I was there when the placement was discussed … All the way through I am always included, [I have] been invited, all my queries have been addressed and [I] never feel pressured.”
“Open Home Foundation really listened to what I wanted for my children; like ballet and gymnastics, and when they didn’t want to do it anymore they [Open Home Foundation] tried to find other things that they wanted to do.” WHĀNAU
One whānau member we spoke with said the plan for their tamariki kept changing because it was not working. They told us there was a lack of communication from their social worker around this, and that was frustrating for them.
“It took a month for the plan to come out, but I thought we had a plan. When we do get the plan then everything changes from the plan … In terms as a parent, I struggle to know where I stand and just want a clear answer, so we know where we are going and can formulate something … Communication speaks volumes.” WHĀNAU
Data from Open Home Foundation shows there have been improvements in how assessments and plans take account of whānau views.
Family/whānau
64%2021/2022 64%2022/2023 80%2023/2024
/
56%2021/2022 45%2022/2023 48%2023/2024
Foster parents
96%2021/2022 95%2022/2023 95%2023/2024
Family/whānau
56%2021/2022 52%2022/2023 81%2023/2024
Hapū/iwi
44%2021/2022 40%2022/2023 57%2023/2024
Foster parents
96%2021/2022 95%2022/2023 98%2023/2024
A continuing challenge for Open Home Foundation is that, despite changes to its needs assessment and planning processes, it struggles to meet the regulatory requirements to undertake reviews of needs assessments and plans at least every six months.
Workforce shortages2 are one of the reasons it struggles to meet these requirements. Some service centres are short-staffed, which affects the agency’s ability to meet regulatory requirements. Reviewing assessments and plans are tasks that commonly get missed. As a result, many assessments and plans are only reviewed once per year, rather than twice. Open Home Foundation told us that although there is some evidence of consultation and planning in case records, this is not always recorded in the required documents.
In June 2024, changes were made to its new assessment and planning documents to automatically update parts of the Tamaiti Assessment and Plan (TAP) and to make it easier to see the next steps each participant should take. This is expected to save duplication of work. Our future reports will look at whether and how this is making a difference.
56%2021/2022 90%2022/2023 81%2023/2024
Open Home Foundation data shows there has been a decrease in visits by Open Home Foundation social workers. This year, only 54 percent of tamariki and rangatahi were visited at the agreed frequency of at least once per month, down from 60 percent in 2022/23. This is despite an increase in total time spent visiting tamariki and rangatahi in care when compared to last year. Our own analysis shows that the proportion of tamariki Māori who were visited by their social worker at the frequency in their assessment or plan was greater than for non-Māori at 64 percent and 53 percent respectively. However, disabled tamariki and rangatahi in Open Home Foundation were less likely to be visited than nondisabled tamariki and rangatahi, at 43 percent and 69 percent respectively.
61%2021/2022 60%2022/2023 54%2023/2024
This year, 411 social worker hours were spent visiting 64 tamariki and rangatahi compared to 344 social worker hours spent visiting 75 tamariki and rangatahi in 2022/23. This means on average, tamariki and rangatahi had more contact with their social workers this year, than last.
Open Home Foundation sets itself a target to visit all tamariki and rangatahi at least once per month, unless more frequent visits are required. Open Home Foundation told us that over the reporting period, around half of the tamariki and rangatahi in its custody were visited more than once a month. In our engagements with them, tamariki and rangatahi mostly spoke positively about their Open Home Foundation social workers and the communication they have with them.
Open Home Foundation data shows high compliance with the regulations in Part Two about providing support to address the needs of and . Its data shows that all plans for tamariki and rangatahi were actionable, and there was evidence that social workers were carrying out the actions in all plans. In 98 percent of plans there was evidence of social workers engaging with partner agencies to ensure that plans were being implemented.
-2021/2022 -2022/2023 100%2023/2024
-2021/2022 -2022/2023 100%2023/2024
-2021/2022 -2022/2023 98%2023/2024
In terms of providing financial and specialist support to maintain connections, self-monitoring shows that this continues to happen for all Tamariki and rangatahi.
Open Home Foundation provided examples of whānau connection in action, including a child who is regularly flown to another region so that they can see their sibling and extended whānau. Another child has been supported to see their whānau and connect with their extended whānau at an increased level, including the introduction of overnight stays that are supported by their foster parents.
We were also told about how Open Home Foundation social workers reconnected tamariki and rangatahi to their marae and to their extended whānau. We heard this has resulted in regular visits back to their whenua, and an improved and ongoing relationship with whānau who are now meaningfully involved in planning . Open Home Foundation told us it has continued to develop relationships with /Māori organisations to help connect tamariki and rangatahi with their whānau and culture. It highlighted work undertaken to build connections with Kōkiri Marae during the reporting period.
Support to meet cultural needs was similarly high again this year, although support to connect with places of cultural relevance decreased relative to last year. Our own analysis shows that tamariki Māori were less likely to receive support to connect with places of cultural relevance when compared to non-Māori tamariki (68 percent and 78 percent), but the proportion of tamariki Māori who received support to participate in cultural activities was greater at 93 percent than for non-Māori tamariki and rangatahi at 69 percent.
94%2021/2022 96%2022/2023 94%2023/2024
91%2021/2022 96%2022/2023 98%2023/2024
78%2021/2022 88%2022/2023 94%2023/2024
61%2021/2022 77%2022/2023 73%2023/2024
In terms of access to primary health care, Open Home Foundation data shows consistently high compliance with the regulations in Part Two, with the exception of dental care. This has remained lower than other primary health measures across the last three years. Our own analysis shows that 71 percent of tamariki and rangatahi Māori in Open Home Foundation custody received an annual dental check compared to 53 percent of non-Māori tamariki and rangatahi in its custody. Forty six percent of disabled tamariki and rangatahi in Open Home Foundation custody received an annual dental check, compared to 72 percent of nondisabled Tamariki and rangatahi.
99%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
75%2021/2022 79%2022/2023 75%2023/2024
59%2021/2022 75%2022/2023 63%2023/2024
98%2021/2022 92%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
100%2021/2022 96%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
Further context on why compliance with dental checks is lower than other primary health measures was not provided. However, as outlined in our in-depth review, Access to primary health services and dental care, we heard that the availability of services for free annual dental checks varies for all tamariki and rangatahi across . For tamariki and rangatahi in care, the require an annual dental check and if government funded services are not available, Open Home Foundation is required to support access to private health services.
We further heard that there is no standard approach to carrying out primary health checks and the NCS Regulations requirements for annual health and dental checks are poorly understood. In the absence of guidance from Oranga Tamariki, Open Home Foundation advised that it met with the Medical Director of the New Zealand Royal College of General Practitioners to discuss clearer guidelines on what an annual health check should look like for tamariki and rangatahi in care.
The Medical Director reported that an advisory group has begun work and will report back when this is complete. Open Home Foundation further told us that it is monitoring whether tamariki and rangatahi are engaging with health services for acute medical needs versus a health check-up. The compliance figures noted in the table above include visits for either of these reasons.
Although we only spoke with a small number of Open Home Foundation tamariki and rangatahi and foster parents and whānau caregivers, all the foster parents who spoke to us about primary health and dental care told us that the tamariki and rangatahi in their care were enrolled with a GP and had regular dental checks.
“From a health point of view – Open Home holds that hat. I found that a lot of appointments and stuff like that had already been done. The social worker drives this aspect of their needs as they have good knowledge regarding [rangatahi in care]. The social worker plugs the gaps that need to be filled.” FOSTER PARENT
“With the dental stuff, this is taken care of by the 'dental bus' that travels around the area. They do checks on the kids’ teeth [at least annually]. So yes, we have access.” FOSTER PARENT
“Weeks before [child] moved in, [child] got braces. [Child] is seeing an orthodontist and Open Home support this. [Child] goes regularly to get the braces tightened.” FOSTER PARENT
However, some foster parents told us it could be hard to get medical appointments.
“Going to the doctor is a different story altogether. It may take several weeks to get an appointment and when you do they [doctor’s clinic] usually insist that you are visiting because you are sick. So, if there is nothing wrong with you it is unlikely that you will get in. For a general health checkup, you may need to wait four months! Luckily, [rangatahi] seems to be really healthy.” FOSTER PARENT
For education, Open Home Foundation data shows that all tamariki and rangatahi in its custody aged up to 16 years were enrolled with an education provider. For those aged over 16 years, they were either enrolled in a registered school or tertiary education organisation or had been supported to obtain employment.
83%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
100%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
96%2021/2022 94%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
78%2021/2022 78%2022/2023 82%2023/2024
56%2021/2022 72%2022/2023 59%2023/2024
Open Home Foundation data also shows high compliance with the regulations around the provision of information on educational attendance, and in supporting tamariki and rangatahi who have been excluded from school to continue learning4. However, more could be done to find out if tamariki and rangatahi are attending school regularly5. Our own analysis shows that updates on attendance were less likely to be obtained for disabled tamariki and rangatahi in Open Home Foundation custody (39 percent) than non-disabled tamariki and rangatahi (48 percent).
100%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
14%2021/2022 39%2022/2023 44%2023/2024
67%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
67%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
Open Home Foundation data states that 82 percent of and in its custody were placed with fully approved caregivers. This is the same as in 2022/23, and data suggests that some aspects of caregiver assessments are more thorough than others. For example:
Where foster parents or whānau carers are provisionally rather than fully approved prior to tamariki and rangatahi being placed in their care, the require close monitoring of the placement until the foster parent or whānau carer is fully approved.
Open Home Foundation data shows that it achieved this for 30 percent of the provisionally approved foster parents and whānau carers. While this is low, it is an improvement on previous years where 20 percent were closely monitored in 2021/22 and 25 percent in 2022/23. Despite this, improvement is required.
20%2021/2022 25%2022/2023 30%2023/2024
Open Home Foundation data also shows that most of its foster parents and whānau carers have a support plan that identifies the needs of tamariki and rangatahi in their care, and the support that will be provided to the foster parents and whānau carers to meet those needs. However, compliance for social workers visiting foster parents and whānau carers is significantly lower, with only 38 percent visited to the frequency in their support plan. Of the 62 percent of foster parents and whānau carers who were not visited to the frequency in their plan, only 29 percent of these were visited at least every eight weeks.
31%2021/2022 33%2022/2023 38%2023/2024
28%2021/2022 11%2022/2023 29%2023/2024
Open Home Foundation policy for foster parent and whānau carer visits varies depending on how recently they have been approved and whether they have tamariki and rangatahi currently in their care. It is unclear from the data if those that are not being visited either at the frequency in their plan, or at least every eight weeks, should have been visited more frequently or not.
Open Home Foundation explained that there are several factors impacting on its ability to be compliant with the regulations around visiting foster parents, including a lack of funding to increase capacity to meet the requirements of the NCS Regulations. We heard that not all smaller service centres have a dedicated foster parent social worker role6. As a result, tamariki and rangatahi are prioritised, and this can mean that foster parents and whānau carers do not receive the support required. Open Home Foundation said only two service centres have not had a foster parent social worker, and both are in the process of creating or onboarding for these roles.
Open Home Foundation reiterated what it has told us previously, that when the NCS Regulations came into effect it resulted in an increase in the work required of foster parent social workers, but it did not receive an increase in funding [from Oranga Tamariki] to resource this work. We heard that some service centres had vacancies for part of the reporting period, which impacted compliance. It also explained that sometimes, some foster parents are resistant to visits. However, its policy is that required visits should still occur.
Despite not meeting compliance requirements to visit foster parents and whānau carers, Open Home Foundation told us that its foster parents say they feel well supported. We also heard this directly from foster parents in our engagements.
“When we first got [rangatahi] we were in a crash and burn type situation, but Open Home came to the party. The knowledge that someone has our back is really reassuring. The issues that [rangatahi] has are totally foreign to our own children [who also live at home]. The professional support that we receive is particularly good for the tricky stuff that comes up.” FOSTER PARENT
“We have a high medical needs child. The medical support we receive is amazing. Support comes for two hours in the evening to help with providing meals and help with home tasks. I’ve had to call Open Home after hours, when I have not known what to do or how to deal with the complex medical needs. I’ve never had an issue and they [Open Home Foundation social workers] are always available.” FOSTER PARENT
Many of the foster parents who spoke to us about receiving support discussed the support they received around training.
“When [my husband] and I were looking at both Oranga Tamariki and Open Home, one of the deciding factors was Open Home’s training packages. They are more robust and the onboarding was really awesome. I wish Oranga Tamariki did this.” FOSTER PARENT
“I was expecting Foster Parent 101 – the real basics, but it was much better; we looked at brain development and trauma response. We also looked at the value of culture. The training was very in depth. Not all of it was new to me. I grew up aware due to privilege, which in turn gave me perspective. I feel I received a better holistic understanding – gaps were filled.” FOSTER PARENT
Some foster parents told us how the training they received helps them to respond to the needs of the tamariki and rangatahi in their care.
“[Rangatahi] is very dramatic, and everything is emotional. There was a night where we were watching a movie and [rangatahi] was upset about something and I was able to use some PACE [Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy] tools to support [tamariki].” FOSTER PARENT
However, some other foster parents did not feel as well supported by Open Home Foundation, with some telling us they did not receive training or that it was difficult to access.
“If you are an Oranga Tamariki caregiver you just register and go, if you are Open Home you have to ask Open Home if you can go and then they have to pay, and that bothers me. The last one I went to was with Caring Families, I was the only one that went from Open Home and everyone else was from Oranga Tamariki and they had their own coffee group set up. I don’t understand why we just can’t put our name down and go. A lot of them are online 7-9pm when I’m busy with the [tamariki] or during the day when I’m at work.” FOSTER PARENT
“[I didn’t get any training] with Open Home Foundation, but I have done other caregiving training.” FOSTER PARENT
Open Home Foundation national office advised that its foster parents are no longer eligible for the training run by Caring Families. It understood Oranga Tamariki pulled funding for other care providers to attend some time ago, and only fund Caring Families to deliver to Oranga Tamariki caregivers. As mentioned in the Oranga Tamariki section, we also heard there has been a further reduction in training funding for Caring Families. Open Home Foundation said the Caring Families training is “fantastic” and while it is supportive of it, due to funding cuts, it is becoming more difficult to fund its foster parents to attend.
This year Open Home Foundation told us it was worried about the number of placement breakdowns that tamariki and rangatahi in its custody experienced. We discuss changes in placements in Part Five, but notably the most common reason for placement breakdowns in the reporting period was because the foster parents or whānau carers were unable to manage the behaviours of the tamariki and rangatahi in a way that kept the tamariki and rangatahi safe.
Open Home Foundation data also shows that only two thirds (68 percent) of foster parent plans identified training needs. This reflects the mixed views that we heard from foster parents around training.
Open Home Foundation reported its regional practice managers have recently been given resources to support the inclusion of and voices. It plans to run sessions in each of its service centres on using these tamarikifriendly tools. In our future reports we will look at whether and how these tools are helping to ensure that tamariki and rangatahi voices are captured and considered.
In April 2024, Open Home Foundation began funding an app and website for tamariki and rangatahi in its care from CaringLife. This is a programme designed to capture photos, videos and other important documents (such as school reports, artwork) for tamariki and rangatahi. All tamariki and rangatahi have an account which they, their parents, , foster parents or whānau carers and social workers can post into and share.
This will help ensure that memories are captured for tamariki and rangatahi, alongside the existing use of memory boxes.
Open Home Foundation data shows that, over the reporting period, there were nine allegations of abuse or neglect relating to seven tamariki in its custody, as follows:
As a result of these allegations of abuse, one foster parent had their approval cancelled. For all nine allegations, social workers assessed the situation for the tamariki and rangatahi to determine whether it was safe for them to remain in their living situation. Where it was not deemed safe, the tamariki and rangatahi were moved. It was not necessary to move all tamariki and rangatahi who made an allegation of abuse, as some of the allegations made were historic and there were no longer safety concerns.
Open Home Foundation policy requires it to make a report of concern to Oranga Tamariki within 24 hours of receiving an allegation of abuse or neglect for tamariki and rangatahi in its custody.
This year Open Home Foundation made reports of concern for eight of the allegations within 24 hours. For the remaining allegation, a report of concern was made a day later. The delay was because the social workers were responding to the allegation and working on plans, referrals and the immediate safety of the tamariki involved.
Open Home Foundation told us that sometimes its social workers are unclear if a report is an allegation of abuse or a care concern. An allegation of abuse is any situation where it is alleged that abuse has occurred. A care concern is where there are worries that the care provided may be poor quality or inadequate for tamariki and rangatahi, but where there is no danger of immediate or serious harm. Open Home Foundation told us it is in the process of revising its policies, so it is clear for its kaimahi how to distinguish between an allegation of abuse and a care concern, and so these are recorded and acted upon appropriately.
Open Home Foundation data shows that, when an allegation of abuse is made, it mostly meets its compliance requirements. Data also shows that supports were provided to all tamariki and rangatahi who made an allegation of abuse, to address the impact of the harm. However, this year its data indicates that only 20 percent of tamariki and rangatahi who had an allegation of abuse had their plans reviewed.
Open Home Foundation acknowledged the decline and stated the information is not necessarily being put in the tamariki and rangatahi plans. There is a general challenge of getting social workers to prioritise plans, as the time and energy is being put into the support and plans that come out of a case consult, however they are not being recorded accurately.
In relation to the drop off in caregiver plans, Open Home Foundation national office said this reflects the vacancies and over stretched staff. It has several vacancies in the foster parent social worker roles and, in some areas, it has not been able to adjust its foster parent support hours. It did advise this is being remedied as new staff come on board.
100%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
73%2021/2022 75%2022/2023 90%2023/2024
91%2021/2022 38%2022/2023 70%2023/2024
82%2021/2022 88%2022/2023 80%2023/2024
78%2021/2022 75%2022/2023 75%2023/2024
55%2021/2022 88%2022/2023 20%2023/2024
91%2021/2022 75%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
64%2021/2022 50%2022/2023 67%2023/2024
Open Home Foundation trialled a centralised complaints process. It plans to finalise this in the next year so that it has better visibility of the complaints it receives. Work is still being completed to finalise the details and while some complaints will be managed at the local level, some will still require a national response. In some cases, the complainant will determine the level at which they would like their complaint managed.
Open Home Foundation kaimahi we spoke with in our engagements told us how it is important that tamariki and rangatahi, foster parents and whānau know how, and feel able, to make a complaint if they need to. We heard how foster parents receive a handbook with information on the complaint process.
We also heard again about the Mind of My Own app. Tamariki and rangatahi can share how they are feeling via the app. It is an interactive app that uses emojis. It can be used to make complaints but is designed to hear tamariki and rangatahi voices more broadly. For example, we heard that if tamariki and rangatahi use the app to say something like ‘I’m feeling sad’ or ‘I feel like I am unsafe’ it will send a message to their social worker, who can then respond. Contact via the Mind of My Own app is always initiated by tamariki and rangatahi.
Open Home Foundation told us that over the reporting period it received three complaints that relate to tamariki and rangatahi in its custody. We heard that one of these complaints related to the funding package for a child. This was investigated by the Open Home Foundation Board, which found that the package of support was appropriate. The second complaint was made by a whānau member, which resulted in an allegation of abuse, and the third complaint related to a support worker. Both were still under investigation at the end of the reporting period.
Over the reporting period, 20 percent of and in Open Home custody experienced a care transition. This included transitions to new care arrangements, to return home, to live with wider , and to adulthood. For some rangatahi, transitioning to adulthood included supported living arrangements.
As noted in Part Three, Open Home Foundation told us it was worried about the number of placement breakdowns that tamariki and rangatahi in its custody experienced this year. Data shows that 23 percent of tamariki and rangatahi had at least one placement change over the reporting period. A third of these tamariki and rangatahi then experienced a second placement change. Reasons for placement changes include abuse allegations, attending boarding school, changes in foster parent circumstances, moving to independent living including flatting situations, foster parents being unable to manage the behaviours of tamariki and rangatahi in a way that kept tamariki and rangatahi safe, returning home, and temporary or emergency placements.
The tamariki and rangatahi who experienced changes in placements were aged between 11 and 18 years. Open Home Foundation told us it is looking at how it can better support care arrangements to prevent placements from breaking down.
Open Home Foundation data shows it is more compliant with some aspects of care transitions than other agencies with custody. It shows that while in many cases there is some planning undertaken before transitions, less than half of tamariki and rangatahi plans were updated to reflect the required support to meet their transition-related needs.
87%2021/2022 87%2022/2023 77%2023/2024
95%2021/2022 60%2022/2023 85%2023/2024
39%2021/2022 73%2022/2023 46%2023/2024
Open Home Foundation shows compliance is greater for transitions within care and to adulthood, than returning home. More than half of the time, tamariki and rangatahi are given information on why they are transitioning, where they are transitioning to, and an opportunity to visit their new placement before they move.
There was full compliance with ensuring future foster parents received the transition plan and/or updated tamariki and rangatahi plan. However, only half of the foster parents that tamariki and rangatahi were moving from received this information this year.
91%2021/2022 86%2022/2023 85%2023/2024
91%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 92%2023/2024
78%2021/2022 80%2022/2023 77%2023/2024
Current foster parent
50%2021/2022 80%2022/2023 50%2023/2024
Future foster parent
56%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
During the reporting period, a small number of tamariki and rangatahi transitioned home. None of these tamariki and rangatahi received weekly visits. While this is not a requirement under the , as highlighted in the Oranga Tamariki section of the report, these can be stressful transitions for the parents and tamariki and rangatahi and a time of increased risk.
Open Home Foundation stated it has completed some policy work on ensuring more support in these situations and has added to its continuous improvement monitoring. Open Home Foundation did say it was difficult to engage with rangatahi when they have chosen to take themselves home, which is similar to the response from Oranga Tamariki.
Regular visits are a way to see how the transition is working and if more supports are needed. Although the number of tamariki and rangatahi in Open Home Foundation custody who return home each year are small, visiting these tamariki and rangatahi is an area where it has consistently fallen short over the last three years. Given the small numbers returning home each year, it is unclear why these visits have not been prioritised to ensure tamariki and rangatahi are safe, and that the home environment is meeting their needs.
An area where it is meeting all its compliance requirements is supporting rangatahi transitioning to adulthood. While there are low numbers of rangatahi in Open Home Foundation custody transitioning to adulthood, data shows it is meeting the requirements of the regulations all the time.
Given the Open Home Foundation custody population is ageing, the fact it can completely support rangatahi transitioning to adulthood is a success.
80%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
100%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
100%2021/2022 100%2022/2023 100%2023/2024
Part Six of the relates to agency self-monitoring and requires agencies to monitor compliance with the regulations.
Open Home Foundation was able to provide data on all and in its custody, and the foster parents and carers who provided care for them, including short break care (respite). Its assessment is based on case file analysis that looks at the records of all tamariki and rangatahi in its custody, to assess how well it is meeting its obligations under the NCS Regulations.
Open Home Foundation also conducts an annual Better Off survey to help it identify what is working well and where it can improve its practice. The survey seeks views from parents and whānau caregivers, rangatahi, foster parents and professionals. Open Home Foundation told us that it has continued to develop the survey questions to better align with the NCS Regulations, to help it measure and improve its compliance.
Open Home Foundation has been upfront about challenges it faces in balancing all its compliance requirements without creating too much additional administrative work for its frontline kaimahi. We heard how some compliance activities, such as approvals processes undertaken by Te Kahui Kahu, place increased demands on Open Home Foundation kaimahi, and can mean that at times they do not have the capacity to meet all the requirements of the NCS Regulations.
Open Home Foundation is mostly compliant with most of the . For some of the NCS Regulations it is wholly compliant, and this is positive for the and in its custody.
However, it has also experienced some challenges in meeting some of the regulatory requirements. Sometimes these challenges have been exacerbated by wider workforce and funding constraints.
Areas of further focus for Open Home Foundation include: more regular visits to tamariki and rangatahi as well as foster parents and carers, increasing support for tamariki and rangatahi to access dental care, actively seeking updates on school attendance, close monitoring of provisionally approved foster parents and whānau carers, and improving how it reviews tamariki and rangatahi plans following an allegation of abuse, or to reflect support required for a successful transition.
We will report on whether Open Home Foundation’s compliance has improved next year.
1 Open Home Foundation provided rationale for why it reintroduced its Community programme stating, “despite funding being redirected, it identified the need for preventative work in the community and that not all agencies, including Māori and non-Māori were always keen to step in to the child protection space and need options to support them in this space.”
2 This year Open Home Foundation had a higher annual retention rate of 81 percent compared with 69 percent last year. At the end of the reporting period this year Open Home Foundation had a six percent vacancy rate for social workers, compared to its historical average of 10-12 percent.
3 Those supported to enrol with a registered school or tertiary provider, or to obtain employment total to greater than 100%, as some have been supported to do both.
4 Regulation 40(2).
5 Regulation 40(1).
6 Open Home Foundation aims to have one foster parent social worker for every 20 foster parents.