What we do | Ā mātou mahi

Gathering information from communities Gathering data Our guiding documents
What we do navigation

We check that organisations supporting and working with tamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary, rangatahi
Young person aged 14 – 21 years of ageView the full glossary, and their whānau
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 are meeting their needs, delivering services effectively, and improving outcomes.

We determine:

  • compliance with the Oranga Tamariki Act, National Care Standards and other regulations
  • the quality and impact of service delivery and practices
  • outcomes for children, young people, whānau and families who receive services or support.

Who we monitor

We monitor agencies with statutory obligations under the Oranga Tamariki Act

  • Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children
  • Other organisations with statutory custody and delegations under the Oranga Tamariki Act, such as Open Home Foundation and Te Pūkāea o Te Waiora
  • NZ Police (Youth Justice)

We engage with organisations that provide services to tamariki and whānau under s396 and s403 of the Oranga Tamariki Act

  • Other Non-Government Organisations such as care partners, youth justice programmes, and early intervention services
  • Iwi
    TribeView the full glossary     hapū
    Sub-tribeView the full glossary    , and Māori social services

We also monitor how other government agencies, such as Education, Health, Kainga Ora, and Social Development interface with the oranga tamariki system

How we do this

How we do this

The stories and lived experiences of tamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary and rangatahi
Young person aged 14 – 21 years of ageView the full glossary, their whānau
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, caregivers and community are at the centre of our monitoring approach.  We also talk with government organisations such as Oranga Tamariki, Police, Health and Education, iwi
TribeView the full glossary and Māori organisations, and non-government community organisations.

These voices of experience help us understand how well services are working together in a community to improve outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi.

We combine what we hear from communities we visit with the nationwide data and information we collect and analyse to inform our reports.

Gathering data

We request data from agencies which helps us understand part of the picture. We also work with the Social Wellbeing Agency to gather data about the oranga tamariki system. Together this data helps us develop insights into what is working well, and what isn't, for tamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary.

How we gather data

Gathering information from communities

We visit every community once every three years. When planning and visiting a community, we follow our monitoring phases which outline how we engage. There are seven key phases, with whanaungatanga, woven throughout. This is an iterative approach designed to help us continuously learn, adapt and improve our monitoring practice.

How we engage with communities

Our guiding documents

Read more about our monitoring approach, our big questions and our outcomes framework in our guiding documents.

Our guiding documents