Part Two: Support to address tamariki and rangatahi needs

The NCS RegulationsCloseNCS Regulations
(National Care Standards and Related Matters) Regulations 2018 View the full glossary set out how Oranga Tamariki must assist tamarikiClosetamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary and rangatahiCloserangatahi
Young person aged 14 – 21 years of ageView the full glossary to access the supports they need¹. This includes Oranga Tamariki advocating for tamariki and rangatahi to access publicly funded health services², and ensuring that additional support is provided for tamariki and rangatahi to succeed in education³. This is critical for tamariki and rangatahi to be able to thrive while in care and go on to lead happy and productive lives. They are some of the most vulnerable tamariki and rangatahi in AotearoaCloseAotearoa
New ZealandView the full glossary, and many have multiple complex needs that require a coordinated response.

Data from the IDI for the year ending June 2021 confirms that tamariki and rangatahi in care had higher potentially avoidable hospitalisations⁴, emergency department admissions, mental health treatment, and substance usage treatment than tamariki and rangatahi in the general population. In education, tamariki and rangatahi in care had higher levels of stand-downs, truancy, and suspensions, and lower NCEA level 2 achievement than tamariki and rangatahi of the same age who were not in care.

The benefits of having health, educational and cultural needs met are well known. Education contributes to wider wellbeing through better employment and earning prospects. Higher levels of education are also associated with higher life expectancy and lower levels of smoking, obesity, disability and depression⁵. In turn, “good health improves our ability to work, study, care for others and make the best use of our time”⁶.

Despite the NCS Regulations requirements, Oranga Tamariki lead indicators mostly focus on actions such as making referrals, rather than ensuring that services and supports are being provided. Oranga Tamariki must have visibility of the extent to which tamariki and rangatahi needs are being met. Not knowing whether health and education services are being delivered inhibits the agency’s ability to understand where other government agencies are not responding, which then inhibits its role to advocate for improved access to services and supports delivered by those agencies.

We again heard mixed experiences of needs being met.

Support for Tamariki and rangatahi to establish, maintain and strengthen whānauClosewhānau
Whānau refers to people who are biologically linked or share whakapapa. For the Monitor’s monitoring purposes, whānau includes parents, whānau members living with tamariki at the point they have come into care View the full glossary connection continues to be an area of good practice.

We also heard positive examples of cross-agency collaboration where specific roles have been established to bring agencies together. These roles focus on health and education. While effective, these roles are not replicated in all communities, and we also heard many examples of agencies in other areas failing to cooperate to meet the needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care. As a result, access to services is inconsistent. This is sometimes due to a scarcity of resources, but can also be disagreements between agencies about funding, thresholds and criteria for accessing services, and sometimes due to poor information sharing between agencies.

While Oranga Tamariki data shows that services and supports are identified in assessments and plans, it still can’t confirm whether tamariki and rangatahi are having annual health and dental checks, attending school or achieving in education. Our conversations with tamariki, rangatahi and caregivers tell us that these things are not always happening and are not always recorded.

The chief executive of Oranga Tamariki has a responsibility to advocate for tamariki and rangatahi to access publicly funded services. Where these services are not available in a timely way, Oranga Tamariki must support tamariki and rangatahi to access other options such as private health services or therapeutic services. This advocacy has not been successful.

This is our fourth report highlighting the challenges government agencies have in working together. The Oranga Tamariki Action Plan has not had the intended impact, and significant barriers remain.

• Funding doesn’t always follow tamariki and rangatahi, and there is confusion over who is responsible to fund what they need. This is reflected in the NCS Regulations, where Oranga Tamariki has a responsibility under the regulations to both advocate for access to publicly funded services and an obligation to privately fund where this isn’t possible.
• Government agency policies and thresholds to access services are misaligned.
• NCS Regulations are limited to Oranga Tamariki and other custody and care providers, and don’t place responsibilities on other government agencies to prioritise services and support for the small group of tamariki and rangatahi in care and custody.

This inability to work together and prioritise tamariki and rangatahi in care leaves social workers, caregivers and whānau to fight for access to services and supports on a case-bycase basis rather than having a system to meet the needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care. Oranga Tamariki internal controls on purchasing services and supports compound this, with social workers required to seek approval through multiple layers. This is inefficient and ultimately leads to inconsistency of service provision, with tamariki and rangatahi missing out.

Tamariki and rangatahi in care must be seen as in the care of the State and not just Oranga Tamariki. All agencies must see themselves as guardians of these children and make sure they get what they need.

Oranga Tamariki continues to support tamarikiClosetamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary and rangatahiCloserangatahi
Young person aged 14 – 21 years of ageView the full glossary in care to establish, maintain and strengthen whānauClosewhānau
Whānau refers to people who are biologically linked or share whakapapa. For the Monitor’s monitoring purposes, whānau includes parents, whānau members living with tamariki at the point they have come into care View the full glossary connection

The NCS RegulationsCloseNCS Regulations
(National Care Standards and Related Matters) Regulations 2018 View the full glossary state that tamariki and rangatahi in care must be supported to establish, maintain and strengthen their relationships with members of their family, whānau, hapūClosehapū
Sub-tribeView the full glossary and iwiCloseiwi
TribeView the full glossary, and particularly the people identified as important in their plans.

Whānau connection is important because it contributes to feeling loved and having a sense of belonging and cultural identity, which support wellbeing. Cultural identity is “important for people’s sense of self and how they relate to others”⁷ and can be centred around ethnicity, nationality, region and common interests. Research on supporting tamariki Māori in education has found that “Māori cultural identity, reinforced by positive whānau beliefs and attitudes, is a powerful and protective dimension of identity for tamariki. A strong sense of identity contributes to tamariki Māori being successful at school”⁸. Similarly, the Youth 2000 survey of secondary school students, carried out in 2018, found that “a strong sense of Māori cultural identity was associated with improved wellbeing and reduced serious depressive symptoms”⁹.

In our 2022/23 Experiences of Care in AotearoaCloseAotearoa
New ZealandView the full glossary report, we stated that Oranga Tamariki actively supports tamariki and rangatahi to maintain and build connections with whānau. Our monitoring this year shows that this continues to be an area of good practice and high compliance with the NCS Regulations. We heard from Oranga Tamariki regional leadership that they actively think about and cultivate whānau connections for tamariki and rangatahi in care, particularly those in non-whānau placements.

“We use that analogy of ‘this [child] is going to get married one day, who will be at the wedding?’ What whānau connections will be intact for that [child] when they are an adult?” ORANGA TAMARIKI REGIONAL LEADERSHIP

Oranga Tamariki data shows that 87 percent of tamariki and rangatahi in care were being supported to establish, maintain or strengthen whānau connection during the reporting period.

Oranga Tamariki data

Support provided to establish, maintain or strengthen whānau connection

87%2021/2022 90% 2022/2023 87% 2023/2024

During our regional engagements, tamariki and rangatahi in the care of Oranga Tamariki spoke positively about regularly seeing or speaking to their whānau, including parents, grandparents and siblings. This includes rangatahi in residences and group homes. A small number of tamariki and rangatahi spoke about how contact with whānau makes them feel.

“I call them [mum and brother] ... I go up … and they come down every three weeks. [Name of brother] is my support person … I wanted to role model for him ... My mum, she’s been there through everything, she turns up that lady. When I needed support she was there. She is that one person I can count on … I tell the staff she is the most important person in my world.” RANGATAHI

“[Talking to family] helps me get through being here [in the group home].” RANGATAHI

When asked how they were supported to maintain their whānau connections, tamariki and rangatahi credited the efforts of their Oranga Tamariki social workers.

“My social worker has kept the relationship with my dad going, by setting up visits, and asking me how things are going. We did little steps from the start. We [dad and I] started seeing each other monthly to begin with, then fortnightly, and then overnight stays. It makes me feel so good, ‘cos I hadn’t seen dad in a really long time, and I actually missed him.” CHILD

“She [social worker] is our favourite because she helps us see our mum and dad.” CHILD

A few parents also spoke of being supported by Oranga Tamariki to be connected to their tamariki, and we heard about a social worker tracing whānau members to build and maintain whānau connection. “My family tree, when I moved I didn’t know about cousins or family and she [social worker] spent some of the time searching for stuff and showing me.” RANGATAHI

The Tamariki and rangatahi who spoke to us about whānau connection had mixed views on the frequency of contact¹⁰. Some told us that visits with their whānau were frequent enough, and this included rangatahi in a youth justice residence. A few tamariki and rangatahi told us that if contact was more frequent it would be too much for them. However, some said they would like more frequent contact, including greater flexibility around the timing and length of phone calls for those in residences and group homes. A few rangatahi in residences and remand homes told us their whānau weren’t allowed to visit them, and the reason for this wasn’t always understood.

“… Our whānau isn’t allowed to come here to visit. Not sure why. Wish they could come here to visit.” RANGATAHI

We also heard that contact with parents did not always happen due to a lack of willingness or cooperation from the parents, and some tamariki and rangatahi told us they have chosen not to maintain contact with their parents. A rangatahi told us they were trying to have their court order overturned so they “don’t have to” see their mother. Some caregivers, both whānau and non-whānau, told us that the tamariki and rangatahi in their care have chosen not to have contact with their parents, or choose when they have contact. These caregivers spoke of supporting and respecting the wishes of tamariki and rangatahi in their care¹¹.

“These kids’ voices are first and foremost. When they want to know about mum, we’ll support that. [One child] sees mum, but [another child does] not, [they] made the choice. [Child] knew [mum], but [their] parents are us.” WHĀNAUCloseWHĀNAU
Whānau refers to people who are biologically linked or share whakapapa. For the Monitor’s monitoring purposes, whānau includes parents, whānau members living with tamariki at the point they have come into care View the full glossary CAREGIVER

When we spoke with kaimahi from Oranga Tamariki and other organisations, the availability of Oranga Tamariki funding to support whānau connection was seen as the key enabler. We heard accounts of Oranga Tamariki funding the travel costs associated with tamariki and rangatahi maintaining whānau contact, particularly where tamariki and rangatahi are in different regions from the people identified as most important to them.

“There has been some amazing work from some social workers. We had one case where Oranga Tamariki paid for flights for a grandmother to fly to Invercargill to bring the grandchildren to Christchurch for a visit with their mum.” DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS KAIMAHI¹²

However, in our more recent engagements, we started to hear concerns from kaimahi about how funding cuts might affect their ability to support whānau connections. They mentioned that it is challenging to get funding to support whānau connection in the “current environment”, with travel and related costs requiring approval at regional, rather than local, level. Kaimahi discussed maintaining whānau connections through other means, with the use of technology (for example, video calls), but highlighted that this is neither culturally appropriate nor ideal for tamariki and rangatahi wellbeing.

Oranga Tamariki is demonstrating a high level of compliance around whānau connection. However, there is considerable variation in the ease with which whānau connection can be maintained.

Whānau visits are easier and less costly to arrange where tamariki and rangatahi are geographically close to their whānau. It is important that funding remains available to support visits when whānau are located further away.

Oranga Tamariki data doesn't show the full picture about meeting its obligations for health and education

The Oranga Tamariki lead indicators on health and education are designed to measure compliance with Part One of the NCS Regulations and, as such, focus on needs assessments and plans. They show that, in the 2023/24 reporting period, 88 percent of tamariki and rangatahi in care had their health needs identified and addressed in their plans, and 90 percent had their education needs identified and addressed. “Addressed” means that the service or support is written in the plan. It does not mean that steps have been taken to arrange that service or support, or that it has been delivered.

Lead indicator 6

The health needs of tamariki are identified and addressed in their plan

82%2021/2022 87% 2022/2023 88% 2023/2024

Lead indicator 7

The education needs of tamariki are identified and addressed in their plan

89%2021/2022 92%2022/2023 90% 2023/2024

There are two new Oranga Tamariki lead indicators for Part Two this year, one of which measures whether social workers are carrying out actions agreed in tamariki and rangatahi plans (86 percent in 2023/24). This is limited to Oranga Tamariki actions such as making referrals to health and education providers¹³. There is no lead indicator used by Oranga Tamariki to provide assurance that health and education needs are being met, whether through the public system or through Oranga Tamariki directly purchasing the service or support.

Lead indicator 15

There is evidence the social worker is carrying out the actions agreed to in the tamariki plan

81%2021/2022 87%2022/2023 86%2023/2024

In contrast, the Oranga Tamariki lead indicators on iwi/hapū/marae connection and disability-related needs, and the new lead indicator on opportunities for play, are focused on delivery.

They are examples of active measures that could be applied to health and education.

Oranga Tamariki doesn’t know whether tamariki and rangatahi are accessing primary healthcare and getting the healthcare they need

The NCS Regulations require Oranga Tamariki to take “reasonable steps” to maintain and improve health for tamariki and rangatahi in care and ensure that support is provided to address health needs. These steps include enrolling tamariki and rangatahi with primary health organisations (PHOs) and ensuring that their health is monitored. These responsibilities are like those of most parents and guardians.

In addition to Oranga Tamariki not knowing the extent to which health services are being accessed, it remains unable to confirm whether annual health and dental checks are being done.

As reported in our in-depth review, Access to Primary Health Services and Dental Care¹⁴, Oranga Tamariki has not always met these responsibilities. We heard from numerous professionals that Oranga Tamariki does not always share information with health providers. This is despite evidence that tamariki and rangatahi in care are likely to have high levels of unmet health need, and despite the willingness we heard from health professionals to ensure that tamariki and rangatahi in care have access to the health services they need. Oranga Tamariki told us that the Gateway redesign will enhance the visibility of tamariki and rangatahi in care within the health system. Gateway will move from a one-off assessment to ongoing health support and followup. Oranga Tamariki and Health New Zealand will be working with the Paediatric Society and the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners to develop guidance for health practitioners.

Our in-depth review confirmed that the administrative data Oranga Tamariki holds on PHO enrolment for tamariki and rangatahi in care is not accurate. To address this, Oranga Tamariki undertook a data matching exercise with Health New Zealand in late 2023 to understand the true extent of PHO enrolments. This showed much higher enrolment rates (93 percent)¹⁵, as does analysis from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) commissioned this year from the Social Investment Agency¹⁶.

IDI data

0-17 year olds who were in care and custody who were enrolled with a PHO

92%2022

As noted in our in-depth review, data-matching likely over reports true PHO enrolment rates as it won’t necessarily be updated when tamariki and rangatahi move. If tamariki are registered with a PHO in Wellington, for example, but then move to the Hawke’s Bay and are not registered with a PHO, they will still show as enrolled with a PHO.

This year, Oranga Tamariki records again show PHO enrolment as low compared to estimates from health agencies based on data-matching or integrated data. There is again no available data on the completion of annual health and dental checks for tamariki and rangatahi in care, despite these being required by the NCS Regulations.

Oranga Tamariki data

PHO enrolments

53%2021/2022 56% 2022/2023 56% 2023/2024

In the absence of data on tamariki and rangatahi receiving health services, this year we requested information from Oranga Tamariki on its annual health spend. This was to demonstrate other ways in which Oranga Tamariki is working to meet the health needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care. The NCS Regulations allow for tamariki and rangatahi in care to access “other health services (for example, private health services or therapeutic services) if existing publicly funded services to address their needs are not available in a timely manner”¹⁷.

During the reporting period, Oranga Tamariki spent $58.5 million on costs related to health. This includes funding for roles that directly deliver a health-related service, and for roles that provide advice to social workers.

Oranga Tamariki health-related expenditure in 2023/24

	$ million
Contracted therapeutic services	$14.7
Contracted behaviour support services	$10.7
In-house specialist services (includes direct and indirect service delivery staff such as Regional Disability Advisors, psychologists and therapists)	$11.2
Wellbeing costs (including advice for Oranga Tamariki staff such as CASA suicide prevention)	$2.1
Tamariki in care	$19.8

Although funding is available for health-related costs, our regional monitoring during the reporting period supports our previous findings that show that access to healthcare remains inconsistent.

We heard of examples where access to primary healthcare for tamariki and rangatahi is easier, such as secure residences where health services are directly contracted to the residence. Kaimahi from Auckland and Canterbury group homes also talked about having access to GPs, nurses, pharmacists and dentists for tamariki and rangatahi in group homes. In Canterbury, we heard tamariki and rangatahi in a group home can access the health provider from the secure residence.

“[Case manager] does all the medication through [local pharmacy] and they are amazing. There are the [youth justice secure residence] nurses, we utilise them if we have questions. The doctors are good, I think our relationships with them are good.” ORANGA TAMARIKI GROUP HOME KAIMAHI

As discussed in our in-depth review, access to primary health services and dental care for tamariki and rangatahi placed with caregivers and in some group homes is less consistent. It relies on the availability of services within the community, as well as proactive support and advocacy from social workers and caregivers. Furthermore, reliance on school-based health care, including routine dental checks, means that tamariki and rangatahi who are not in school will miss out. This is also true for some tamariki and rangatahi in care who change schools.

Tamariki and rangatahi continue to struggle to access mental health services

The shortage of mental health services for tamariki and rangatahi across Aotearoa has been well documented¹⁸. However, evidence of mental distress and poor mental health among tamariki and rangatahi in care is particularly high. An indepth needs assessment by Oranga Tamariki states that tamariki and rangatahi involved with Oranga Tamariki “often have high mental health and wellbeing support needs, including depression and suicidal ideation, anxiety, mood disorders and substance use, as well as a range of other (undiagnosable) manifestations of mental distress”¹⁹. The assessment goes on to state that high mental health need is likely due to a range of factors, including the reasons for involvement with Oranga Tamariki²⁰. In addition, the experience of being involved with Oranga Tamariki “can also be traumatic and distressing for a range of reasons, despite sometimes being necessary for the safety of a child or young person”²¹.

As discussed in Part One, data from the IDI shows that rangatahi aged 15-17 years in care and custody, as well as those who had been at risk of entering care and custody, had much higher rates of hospitalisation from self-harm in 2022, than the general rangatahi population in Aotearoa²².

Despite this high level of need, and despite Oranga Tamariki having in-house psychological and therapeutic services available²³, tamariki and rangatahi in care continue to face barriers accessing mental health services. Sometimes this is due to mental health services being over-subscribed or having very high thresholds and criteria to access services, and sometimes this is due to a lack of advocacy on behalf of tamariki and rangatahi needing support.

“There are significant service gaps. [Needs Assessment and Service Coordination service] can’t provide the support. They don’t have anyone to do it. Te Whatu Ora [Health New Zealand], they can’t bump our kids up, they have hundreds of kids on the waiting list. [Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service] have just as much [on waiting lists] as we have ROCs [reports of concern]. Some are triaged.” ORANGA TAMARIKI SITE LEADERSHIP

“We have [mental health specialist] and she gives Oranga Tamariki social workers information to be proactive. An Oranga Tamariki social worker doesn’t always know [about mental health issues support] and needs more education around that.” NGO KAIMAHI

Sometimes, however, this is due to government agencies being unable or unwilling to work together to ensure the mental health needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care are met. There are numerous examples of system settings failing to meet needs. These include care placement stability being seen as a prerequisite for access to mental health support (including access to therapeutic services for harmful sexual behaviour), and disputes between Oranga Tamariki and health practitioners over both eligibility and funding responsibility.

For example, we heard of Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (ICAMHS) and other mental health providers not providing supports to tamariki and rangatahi if their care placements are considered unstable.

“We have three disability cases that need specialist help, which don’t exist, because we can’t keep them in a placement long enough. The services that do exist don’t want to be involved as they require stable placement to get involved.” ORANGA TAMARIKI KAIMAHI

“All too often Oranga Tamariki want us to work with a young person who isn’t in a currently safe situation. It’s not possible for us to engage ... Our priority is a safe space for the young person to be in so we can work with them...[placement] needs to be up to six months for us to work with them.” MENTAL HEALTH KAIMAHI

Placement stability is crucial for many reasons. In Part Three of this report, we discuss the importance of decisions around care and supporting caregivers. Until improvements are made in this area, some tamariki and rangatahi are likely to continue to have unmet mental health needs.

We heard that access to services can be impacted when Oranga Tamariki social workers and health kaimahi are at odds over the boundaries between what is a mental health issue, a behavioural issue (disability or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) and/or trauma-related behaviour.

“How can we get the message to [Oranga Tamariki] that a suicidal young person isn’t necessarily [because of a] mental health [issue] – it’s more likely trauma. A liaison person would be good to advocate with [Oranga Tamariki].” MENTAL HEALTH KAIMAHI

“We got lots of health assessments, when we try to reach out to doctors and others, they’re saying [tamariki] are fine - it’s just trauma. We escalate that to our manager. And we work six months to a year to a couple of years, without support. Why can’t they prioritise these children?” ORANGA TAMARIKI KAIMAHI

We also heard that tamariki and rangatahi are sometimes not supported because of disputes between Oranga Tamariki, health agencies, and Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, about what falls within the funding responsibility of each agency within the system²⁴. This was particularly the case for disability support services.

“Our so-called partners at Health just do not want to be involved with disability issues … They must have been resourced at some stage to deal with issues of disability, so I don’t know why they don’t seem to get involved now.” ORANGA TAMARIKI SITE LEADERSHIP “[Oranga Tamariki] used to fund [health services for children in care]– wallet used to be open. Now it’s closed up, dependent on the social worker who has the pen.” HEALTH KAIMAHI

We also heard of examples where Oranga Tamariki was able to access the required services and supports through individual efforts.

“I was thinking about a child in care that was moving and needed a paediatric review ... No appointments at the paediatric super clinic for a year. The Oranga Tamariki social worker got on board and through their [Oranga Tamariki] office was able to get a private appointment for this child to get their review.” NGO KAIMAHI

“We have recruited an exceptional health and disability advisor. [They] drive relationships and gets others to think differently. [They] are a bridge, however, [they] still struggle with [Needs Assessment and Service Coordination service] and [Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service].” ORANGA TAMARIKI SITE LEADERSHIP

While it is positive that individual kaimahi can support tamariki and rangatahi to access mental health services, what is needed is a system that provides an open door and supports consistent access without being overly reliant on individual effort.

Oranga Tamariki told us that a new Mental Health Action Plan has been developed as part of the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan (OTAP). The Mental Health Action Plan aims to make improvements to mental health support for tamariki and rangatahi in Oranga Tamariki care. It has an initial focus on:

• scoping a longer-term plan for increasing the mental health capability of Oranga Tamariki kaimahi and caregivers, to take immediate actions where appropriate
• identifying opportunities to improve crossagency collaboration at local (service level), regional and national levels.

We will look at the impact of this in our future reports.

Tamariki and rangatahi are not always getting the support they need for education

Oranga Tamariki data shows that most (92 percent) of school-aged tamariki and rangatahi in care were enrolled in a school or other educational setting during the reporting period. For the younger age group (1-4 years), 37 percent were enrolled in early childhood education, and for the older age group (aged 16 and above) 82 percent were in education, training or employment (including apprenticeships)²⁵. We note that while enrolment is high for over 5 year olds, it does not necessarily mean that tamariki and rangatahi are attending, achieving, or have the supports they need to participate and succeed in education.

Oranga Tamariki data

Early childhood enrolment (1–4-year-olds enrolled in early childhood education)

49%2021/2022 43% 2022/2023 37% 2023/2024

School and early childhood enrolment (5-year-olds enrolled in school or early childhood education)

79%2021/2022 77% 2022/2023 78% 2023/2024

School enrolment (6–15-year-olds enrolled in school)

94%2021/2022 93% 2022/2023 92% 2023/2024

16–20-year-olds in education, employment and training

81%2021/2022 82% 2022/2023 82% 2023/2024

The NCS Regulations require Oranga Tamariki to monitor the attendance and educational progress of tamariki and rangatahi in care. However, Oranga Tamariki data continues to suggest that it has poor oversight of educational progress and achievement at the level of individual tamariki and rangatahi. Oranga Tamariki advised that it is the role of the caregiver, rather than the social worker, to attend parent teacher interviews, which are a useful source of information on progress and additional needs.

We also note the decline in early childhood education (ECE) enrolment. Attendance at ECE is an important support for tamariki, as well as an opportunity for early identification of need and additional eyes on Tamariki wellbeing.

What Oranga Tamariki could tell us, from case file analysis, is the prevalence of and response to “educational issues”. One in three tamariki and rangatahi in care had “an educational issue” identified during the reporting period, up from around one in four in 2022/23. Oranga Tamariki states that, in most cases (86 percent), the social worker took sufficient steps, including consultation with others, to address the issue. However, this does not necessarily mean that access to the service or support has been achieved, as it could require action by the school or the Ministry of Education.

Oranga Tamariki data

Evidence that the child had educational issues during the review period

24%2021/2022 28% 2022/2023 36% 2023/2024

Evidence the social worker took steps to sufficiently address those issues

85%2021/2022 86% 2022/2023 86% 2023/2024

Our analysis of this data shows disabled tamariki and rangatahi are more likely to have had educational issues raised than other groups of tamariki and rangatahi (61 percent compared with 25 percent). However, social workers appeared to be more proactive in addressing these issues (91 percent compared with 80 percent). Tamariki and rangatahi Māori are less likely to have had educational issues raised, but also less likely to have these addressed.

Oranga Tamariki told us it has finalised an information sharing agreement with the Ministry of Education to identify “those who are not enrolled or not attending education or at risk of becoming disengaged from education and [provide] appropriate and meaningful interventions and support”²⁶. The agreement establishes ongoing information sharing of education attendance and enrolment data from August 2024. Sharing data at a national level will go some way to understanding how tamariki and rangatahi in care are having their educational needs met. However, we know that social workers already know which tamariki and rangatahi on their caseloads are not enrolled or attending education. What has been missing to date is Oranga Tamariki as an organisation actively monitoring and overseeing educational enrolments, attendance and progress. Information sharing with the Ministry of Education is intended to address this.

Improved information sharing will be helpful, but if tamariki and rangatahi are to have better access to education, the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki need to work collaboratively on the ground. Our monitoring shows there is often a lack of cooperation between Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Education and individual schools at a local level. This is a barrier that national level data-sharing is unlikely to address.

Some schools are refusing to enrol tamariki and rangatahi who are in care

Although Oranga Tamariki reports that 92 percent of school-aged tamariki and rangatahi are enrolled in a place of learning, eight percent of schoolaged tamariki and rangatahi in care (a total of 262 tamariki and rangatahi) are not enrolled or have no recorded enrolment²⁷. Our 2022/23 Experiences of Care in Aotearoa report included many accounts of school-aged tamariki and rangatahi being unoccupied during the day with no school placement.

This year, we heard more about schools refusing to enrol tamariki and rangatahi in care due to poor cooperation between Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Education and individual schools. Oranga Tamariki kaimahi in all regions we visited identified school attitudes as a barrier to enrolling tamariki and rangatahi in care in education. Social workers said some schools (the leadership team and/or enrolment officer) assumed that the behaviour of tamariki and rangatahi in care would be disruptive, or that they would require additional support, which would be onerous for the school to obtain. We heard that the independence of schools means they try to refuse enrolments for, or opportunities to reengage, tamariki and rangatahi who they believe are unsuitable.

“We have kids who are struggling to get back into education. You think Oranga Tamariki is broken but the Ministry of Education is so bad. These kids have a legal obligation to be in school ... The Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki lawyers have been involved and there is no movement since ... The boards [at schools] have way too much control over what happens. They are hoity toity schools who don’t want ‘these types of kids’ in their schools …The Ministry of Education needs to have more of say in what happens.” ORANGA TAMARIKI GROUP HOME KAIMAHI

“Often other agencies don’t understand that schools are their own Crown Entity, we [Ministry of Education] do have regulatory functions, our ability to direct schools to do this and that won’t work, [instead] we influence.” MINISTRY OF EDUCATION REGIONAL LEADERSHIP

The process for the Ministry of Education to direct a school to enrol tamariki and rangatahi is onerous and the Ministry seems reluctant to undertake it. This may in part be due to assumptions as to how tamariki and rangatahi may be treated in a school that did not want to take them in the first instance²⁸.

“I ask schools to provide ten reasons why the child is unwanted [and cannot] be enrolled in their school. One time I put it in court papers that [the Ministry of] Education wasn’t coming to the table. The judge ordered [the Ministry of] Education into court to explain themselves and they received orders to co-operate.” ORANGA TAMARIKI KAIMAHI

We also heard from education kaimahi who said that Oranga Tamariki social workers have a critical role during transfers between schools, particularly when this also involves moving between locations, to ensure tamariki and rangatahi in care aren’t “lost to the system”. However, they observed that Oranga Tamariki social workers sometimes do not understand process or procedure, do not provide sufficient information or do not turn up to appointments to discuss enrolments.

“[Rangatahi] can move into this area from another and the only two organisations that ‘follow’ the young person are [Oranga Tamariki] and us [Ministry of Education]. Troublingly, [Oranga Tamariki] themselves often fail to co-ordinate these transitions amongst themselves either. We can help by being the glue that keeps the connection going. I feel we could do more in this space.” MINISTRY OF EDUCATION REGIONAL LEADERSHIP

“The school asked for more information, and we tried to arrange a meeting to address these but [Oranga Tamariki] didn’t turn up. So [the child] is still not in any school now.” MINISTRY OF EDUCATION REGIONAL LEADERSHIP

On enrolments in other educational settings, we heard again in our engagements this year that Te Kura (correspondence school) and Alternative Education are often used as backstops for tamariki and rangatahi in care. According to Oranga Tamariki data, 40 tamariki and rangatahi were enrolled with Te Kura during the 2023/24 reporting period²⁹, and 31 tamariki and rangatahi in care were referred to Alternative Education³⁰.

As reported in 2022/23 Experiences of Care in Aotearoa, neither is a viable option for tamariki and rangatahi who have disengaged from education. During our regional engagements this year, Te Kura kaimahi pointed out that they do not have the resources to provide individualised learning support to tamariki and rangatahi in care³¹.

Although kaimahi at a group home said that Alternative Education can be better suited to their rangatahi, the kaimahi we spoke to at an Alternative Education provider identified turnover of Oranga Tamariki social workers as a barrier to ensuring rangatahi have access to the support they need. In 2023, the Education Review Office reported that Alternative Education is associated with worse educational outcomes than other educational settings and is funded at a lesser rate per child³². The Ministry of Education told us there was an increase in ‘per place’ funding provided by Budget 2023 that took effect from 1 January 2024. We will be looking at the impact this is having in future reports.

Disputes about paying for educational support mean tamariki and rangatahi are missing out

The NCS Regulations require Oranga Tamariki to provide support for education and training needs. This support can include equipment, fees and “additional support needed for the child or young person, and in particular a child or young person with disabilities, to succeed in education”³³. During the reporting period, Oranga Tamariki spent $8.8 million on costs related to education, including $3.3 million on teacher aides/assistance.

As in previous years, our regional engagements this year revealed that there are often disagreements between Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Education and individual schools over who is responsible for funding additional supports such as teacher aides. We heard several accounts of Oranga Tamariki funding these supports to secure and maintain enrolments. Approval for sufficient additional supports was spoken about either as a pre-condition for education providers accepting enrolments of tamariki and rangatahi in care, or as a necessity for successful participation (for example, to manage behaviour in the school setting).

“Some identified schools have pushed us. They say unless Oranga Tamariki provide teacher aide funding the child will need to leave school.” ORANGA TAMARIKI KAIMAHI

“[There is an] example of a four-year-old being stood down from day care. We had to buy a new teacher and [the Ministry of Education] only would pay for 10 hours. Once [Oranga Tamariki] is involved the reputation begins for that child of being a problem. If it is a different organisation taking [the] child to school, there doesn’t seem to be the same problems.” ORANGA TAMARIKI KAIMAHI

“We work with education, and we have regular meetings with education leaders, principals, to come along and talk about what they are seeing, and we ask schools to provide IEPs [Individual Education Plan], and we talk about what they are doing, and we do a joint plan. We might even put in some teacher aide funding, and this helps to forge relationships with schools, and we will sometimes go out and sit with staff at schools to go and talk with them and ask what they need for us to support them.” ORANGA TAMARIKI KAIMAHI

We heard from Oranga Tamariki kaimahi that this problem is sometimes compounded by the views of legal professionals. Kaimahi in Taranaki- Manawatū, for example, described how judges and lawyers for the child can have the expectation that Oranga Tamariki should fund additional supports for education because it has guardianship. Social workers from other regions also shared the view that other agencies “push back” on Oranga Tamariki to meet educational (and health) needs.

“You can feel the struggle when you’ve got Ministry of Education or Ministry of Health pushing back on Oranga Tamariki to do a lot of stuff, like getting teacher aides and meeting health needs ... When you have different agencies coming to the party, it is way easier. Even today, I have been going backwards and forwards with the Ministry of Education. If no one agrees, then it’s left to Oranga Tamariki to do it.” ORANGA TAMARIKI KAIMAHI

We also heard about the three main sources of additional supports: Ongoing Resource Scheme (ORS), the Intensive Wraparound Service (IWS), and High and Complex Needs (HCN)³⁴.

While several people spoke about ORS, it was noted that it has two levels of support (high and very high), which do not meet the needs of those with intermediate levels of need. We also heard concerns about funding being tied to the school rather than the child, resulting in tamariki and rangatahi in care losing the additional learning support if they change schools. The Ministry of Education told us that ORS funding should follow tamariki and rangatahi.

However, this is not always happening and we heard one example where a rangatahi lost their ORS funding because they were excluded from school and were not able to have a new referral made for them at Te Kura until the following school year.

“ORS funding, [you] lose it if you move schools, but you’re more likely to move schools if you’re in care.” NGO KAIMAHI

Comments made about both IWS and HCN noted that the services are at capacity and unable to meet demand.

Kaimahi we spoke to consistently mentioned the requirement for two agencies to make a referral for HCN funding. Some kaimahi from the Ministry of Education said they perceived unwillingness from Oranga Tamariki social workers to support referrals. They also said sometimes the Ministry of Education could not be a referring agency because tamariki and rangatahi were not currently enrolled. The process is difficult and competitive.

“HCN cases –a person has to be involved with two of the three services – the Ministry of Education, ICAMHS [Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service] and [Oranga Tamariki]. The case is vetted, it is funded by Support Works, but it can’t just be approved by Support

Works and ICAMHS. A small percentage of the referrals go through to be assessed as High and Complex Needs. The referral is complex, it’s also competitive, it’s only the worst cases that get referred ... We can take it higher, to the national High and Complex Needs team to review but they don’t often get a solution.” MENTAL HEALTH KAIMAHI

While a Ministry of Education kaimahi observed that the process for HCN had improved in Canterbury, regional Ministry of Education leadership and kaimahi discussed how recent Ministry of Education boundary changes had affected the distribution of resources in Auckland.

“When we were one Auckland team, there was more flexibility. Now we have three distinct budgets, and we are doubling up on personnel. This has created three different systems for three different areas. We are starting to see some light and see where it is sitting after 12 months of this change.” MINISTRY OF EDUCATION REGIONAL KAIMAHI

In response to the issues raised around school enrolments and supports, the Ministry of Education has told us it is developing a memorandum of understanding between Oranga Tamariki and, importantly, schools.

The needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care are better met when government agencies collaborate

In our 2022/23 Experiences of Care in Aotearoa report, as well as in earlier reports, we raised the importance of agencies working together to address some of the barriers that tamariki and rangatahi experience in accessing health and education services. We also reported that we had started to hear about examples of agencies working together to meet the needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care.

We continued to hear this during the 2023/24 reporting period. We heard about the positive impact of specific roles that are designed to bring agencies together to support tamariki and rangatahi in care. Professionals from both Oranga Tamariki and NGOsCloseNGOs
Non-government organisationsView the full glossary told us that collaboration and communication across agencies leads to better plans as well as better service provision. We heard how regular meetings between organisations results in better quality plans to meet the needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care, while a lack of communication hinders both the completion and quality of plans.

In all four of the regions we visited in 2023/24, kaimahi from different agencies spoke positively about the Senior Advisor Education and Health, which is a regional role at Oranga Tamariki. Kaimahi we spoke to described the role as an important connector between Oranga Tamariki social workers, Ministry of Education service managers, and kaimahi from both schools and health providers. The involvement of the Senior Advisor Education and Health was seen as a key enabler for securing school enrolments, additional supports in health, and education service prioritisation.

“A positive effect has been the fact that more kids are staying in school because of [their] advocacy. The positives from [the appointment of the Senior Advisor Education and Health] have been immediate.” ORANGA TAMARIKI SITE LEADERSHIP

“Now [Senior Advisor Education and Health] is supporting me to enrol a young person into school, [they are] doing great advocacy… talking to Ministry of Education and trying to get resources...Teacher aide funding.” ORANGA TAMARIKI KAIMAHI

“[Senior Advisor Education and Health] will organise all of the information and share it with all of the professionals who need the info. It has taken on a whole different level of openness between agencies.” HEALTH KAIMAHI

“Usually there is a long wait list for psychology support [six to eight months]. If the need is a bit serious and urgent, [Senior Advisor Education and Health] could pull the case to the top of the list.” HEALTH KAIMAHI

We also heard positive accounts of the Oranga Tamariki Hospital Liaison Practice Leader. This is another Oranga Tamariki regional role, established under a tripartite agreement between Oranga Tamariki, NZ Police and Health New Zealand.

“One thing that has made a big difference is Oranga Tamariki [Hospital] Liaison Practice Leader. If there is a child with Oranga Tamariki and you are not making progress with getting in touch with the social worker, we can ask her [Hospital Liaison Practice Leader] to follow up.” HEALTH KAIMAHI

In our Auckland visit, we also heard about the impact of the Ministry of Education Lead Education Advisor – Children in Care. This is a role that is specific to Auckland. Ministry of Education kaimahi spoke positively about the role, giving numerous examples of cross-agency activities and work to support needs assessments, referrals and information-sharing. Specific examples include meeting with Oranga Tamariki to discuss tamariki and rangatahi who had been stood down (excluded), transition planning for tamariki and rangatahi reengaging with education, and piloting support for five-year-olds in care entering primary school. The latter was also supported by Ministry of Education Resource Teachers Learning and Behaviour.

Although we heard positive accounts of this particular role, we also heard that a change to Ministry of Education regional boundaries during the reporting period resulted in the Lead Education Advisor – Children in Care being unable to support tamariki and rangatahi in parts of Auckland where there is very high need.

Government agencies are not consistently prioritising the needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care

Over the last four years, we have continually heard about disagreements and struggles over the funding of services and supports identified in tamariki and rangatahi plans. As well as government agencies disagreeing over funding, processes within Oranga Tamariki do not support tamariki and rangatahi to have their needs met.

Oranga Tamariki provided us with information about how services and supports are funded for tamariki and rangatahi in care. Tamariki and rangatahi in care have client financial plans, which set out their expected costs throughout the year, and which address the needs identified in their All About Me plans. Expenses must be relevant to tamariki and rangatahi needs, reasonable, offer good value for money, and be able to withstand public scrutiny. There is no set budget for individual tamariki and rangatahi, but funding for services and supports is approved by the budget holder – usually a site manager in the first instance. Extraordinary costs require higher levels of approval, up to and including the Chief Executive for some expenses. Oranga Tamariki told us that this process “helps ensure consistency and equity in decision-making”³⁵.

Despite assurances of consistency and equity, some of the issues we heard in our regional engagements would be addressed if funding were allocated to tamariki and rangatahi based on their needs, rather than fixed budgets within sites. The current system contributes to an inconsistency in service provision between sites. For example, one site could use all of its budget on a small number of tamariki and rangatahi, whereas another site may be able to spread funding across a greater number of tamariki and rangatahi because individual needs cost less to address.

In addition to how funding is allocated within Oranga Tamariki, the wider system has not been set up to ensure that tamariki and rangatahi in care are prioritised.

The lack of co-ordination among government agencies has been an issue for many years and OTAP was considered one way of addressing it.

The requirement for OTAP is set out in legislation. In 2018, the Children’s Act was amended to require children’s agencies³⁶ to develop a plan. That plan must set out how agencies will work together to improve the wellbeing of tamariki and rangatahi known to Oranga Tamariki³⁷.

OTAP was published in July 2022. At that time, it set out a range of short and long-term actions for several agencies, including those that aren’t children’s agencies, such as the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development. Initiatives under OTAP included in-depth needs assessments on aspects of education, health and housing. Further actions were to be agreed once the needs of tamariki and rangatahi known to Oranga Tamariki were more fully understood.

In response to our 2022/23 Experiences of Care in Aotearoa report, Oranga Tamariki and the Ministries of Health and Education referred us to the work underway as part of OTAP³⁸. Although in early stages of development at the time, OTAP was expected to make significant improvements to the provision of services and supports for tamariki and rangatahi in care. We are yet to see evidence of progress on the ground.

This year, agencies have reported that OTAP has been reduced to focus on fewer priorities and workstreams. This was to reflect current Government priorities and “prioritise limited resources”. This may mean the collective actions of government agencies to deliver responses to the needs of tamariki and rangatahi is now more limited.

For example, Oranga Tamariki has again told us that a working group has been established between it, the Ministry of Health and Health New Zealand. The working group is “exploring how to enhance the visibility of tamariki in care within the health system. It is hoped that doing so will both improve the access of tamariki and rangatahi in care to primary health services and the care provided will be traumainformed”. This is very similar to the response we received from Oranga Tamariki twelve months ago. At that time, Oranga Tamariki stated that this was an area of high priority. However, we understand that personnel changes across both agencies have delayed this work.

This is our fourth report that highlights the challenges government agencies have when needing to work together. OTAP has not had the impact that was intended. This leaves social workers, caregivers and whānau to fight for access to services and supports on a case-by-case basis. In the absence of a joined-up approach to meeting the needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care they rely on trusted relationships and goodwill within agencies. This is inefficient and ultimately leads to inconsistency of service provision, with tamariki and rangatahi missing out. Tamariki and rangatahi in care need to be seen as in the care of the State and not simply Oranga Tamariki. All agencies need to see themselves as guardians of these children and make sure they get what they need.

The impact of not addressing the needs of tamariki and rangatahi can be lifelong

A lack of urgency continues to see tamariki and rangatahi in care missing out. Just one year in the life of tamariki and rangatahi in care is a significant proportion of their life, whatever their age.

Lost opportunities to access health and education over that time may mean some opportunities are lost forever. Missed education at a foundational level, for example, is extremely hard to catch up on.

1 Regulation 30(1)(b).
2 Regulation 35(2).
3 Regulation 41(1)(c).
4 Potentially avoidable hospitalisations include respiratory conditions, gastroenteritis, skin infections, and vaccine preventable illnesses. They also include unintentional injuries and hospitalisations due to assault or self-harm.
5 Education Counts, Education and health, 2021. www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/80898/education-and-health
6 Ministry of Health, New Zealand Health Strategy, 2023 (page 18).
7 Ministry of Social Development, The Social Report, 2016.
8 New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Poipoia ngā tamarikiClosetamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary: How whānauClosewhānau
Whānau refers to people who are biologically linked or share whakapapa. For the Monitor’s monitoring purposes, whānau includes parents, whānau members living with tamariki at the point they have come into care View the full glossary and teachers support tamariki Māori to be successful in learning and education – COMPASS, 2024 (page 35).
9 Ashlea D. Williams, Terryann C. Clark, Sonia Lewycka (University of Auckland), The Associations Between Cultural Identity and Mental Health Outcomes for Indigenous Māori Youth in New Zealand, 2018 (published in Frontiers in Public Health, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00319/full)
10 The most recent Te Tohu O Te Ora survey, carried out in 2022, reported that three quarters of tamariki and rangatahiCloserangatahi
Young person aged 14 – 21 years of ageView the full glossary in care said they could keep in touch with their whānau as much as they like.
11 The NCS RegulationsCloseNCS Regulations
(National Care Standards and Related Matters) Regulations 2018 View the full glossary allow for exceptions to be made if whānau contact is not in the best interests of tamariki and rangatahi (Regulation 31(2)).
12 We talk to kaimahi from the Department of Corrections as part of our wider monitoring of the oranga tamariki system.
13 In measuring this, Oranga Tamariki reviewers are instructed to “look for evidence of referrals being made, financials being raised, or case notes show follow-up on tasks agreed to in the plan. If there are actions where one task needs to be done before the next can be done, it is actioned if the first action has been started”.
14 Aroturuki Tamariki, Access to Primary Health Services and Dental Care: an in-depth look into the experiences of accessing primary health services and dental care for tamariki and rangatahi in care, November 2023.
15 ibid.
16 Access to the data used in this study was provided by Stats NZ under conditions designed to give effect to the security and confidentiality provisions of the Data and Statistics Act 2022. The results presented are the work of the Social Investment Agency, not Stats NZ or individual data suppliers. These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure, which is carefully managed by Stats NZ. More information can be found on www.stats.govt.nz/integrated-data/
17 Regulation 35.
18 A June 2024 snapshot from Te Hiringa Mahara / The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission reports that “young people are less likely to be able to get professional help for their mental health needs compared to other age groups”, and that “children and adolescents aged 0-18 years wait longer for specialist mental health services than older people”. www.mhwc.govt.nz/our-work/wellbeing/youth-rangatahi-wellbeing-assessment/infographic/
19 Oranga Tamariki, Mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people involved with Oranga Tamariki: in-depth needs assessment, www.orangatamarikiactionplan.govt.nz/assets/Action-Plan/Uploads/Understanding-need/Mental-health-and-wellbeing/OT-MW-Needs-Assessment_final-for-publication_Redacted.pdf
20 The in-depth assessment refers to ”complex and challenging life experiences such as the experience of trauma (individual, whānau, or intergenerational), poor whānau and parental mental health and wellbeing and attachment difficulties with significant others.”
21 Oranga Tamariki, Mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people involved with Oranga Tamariki: in-depth needs assessment, www.orangatamarikiactionplan.govt.nz/assets/Action-Plan/Uploads/Understanding-need/Mental-health-and-wellbeing/OT-MW-Needs-Assessment_final-for-publication_Redacted.pdf
22 These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure, which is carefully managed by Stats NZ. More information can be found on www.stats.govt.nz/integrated-data/
23 Oranga Tamariki provides in-house psychological and therapeutic services through its Clinical Services teams.
24 The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) also has responsibility to provide treatment in some instances, such as sensitive claims for sexual abuse.
25 The 2021/22 and 2022/23 data in this section (including the tables) may differ from our previous reporting due to a change in the methodology used to calculate this by Oranga Tamariki.
26 Oranga Tamariki, ‘Response to Aroturuki Tamariki / the Independent Children’s Monitor, Request for self-monitoring information on the National Care Standards Regulations to Oranga Tamariki for the period 1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024: Section Two’.
27 74 tamariki and rangatahi in care aged 6-15 were recorded as not enrolled in education (or training or employment) in 2023/24, and a further 188 had no record of enrolment in education (or training or employment).
28 The Ministry of Education told us it is currently addressing this issue through the Attendance Action Plan
https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/strategies-policies-and-programmes/attendance-and-achievement/
increasing-school-attendance 
29 18 were of compulsory school age (6-15 years old), 18 were aged 16 years and above, and there was no record of age for four tamariki/rangatahi.
30 10 were of compulsory school age (6-15 years old), and 21 were aged 16 years and above.
31 In response to allegations, made in October 2024, that students enrolled at Te Kura are not engaged or succeeded in education, Te Kura has revealed that 35 percent of its students have ‘not returned any work this year’. The Education Review Office has announced that it will review Te Kura in 2025, as a follow up to its 2021 report that found that high numbers of at-risk students were being enrolled with Te Kura as a last resort, but that these students often need intensive support to be able to engage in their learning. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/531023/developing-educational-crisis-te-kura-whistleblower-fears-for-students
32 https://evidence.ero.govt.nz/media/tk4b4lar/an-alternative-education-a-guide-for-school-leaders.pdf
33 Regulation 41.
34 ORS is funded by the Ministry of Education primarily to provide specialist assistance to meet students’ special education needs. Any student who meets the criteria is included in the scheme. IWS supports children in years 0 to 10 with complex behaviour, social and learning needs, and who need support not just at school but also at home and in the community. Applications for IWS must come from a support service that is already working with the child or young person and the school. HCN is hosted by Oranga Tamariki but was formed to address serious service gaps and enhance collaboration between Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and local agencies.
35 Oranga Tamariki, ‘Response to Aroturuki Tamariki / the Independent Children’s Monitor, Request for self-monitoring information on the National Care Standards Regulations to Oranga Tamariki for the period 1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024: Section Two’.
36 New Zealand Police, Oranga Tamariki, and the Ministries of Education, Health, Justice and Social Development.
37 This includes tamariki and rangatahi at risk of entering care, those in care, and those aged up to 25 who have left care.
38 https://aroturuki.govt.nz/reports/agency-responses