Advocacy
Caring Families Aotearoa is dedicated to ensuring that every care family and whānau is enabled, supported, and has the skills to provide tamariki/children with a secure home where they can be healed.
To ensure this happens, we advocate for caregivers by having regular ongoing conversations with MP’s, Oranga Tamariki senior staff, NGO (Non-Government Organisations), Iwi reference groups, and other care Agencies around issues that affect our caregiver members.
There are currently three areas we are focusing on, as well as our ongoing advocacy for all caregivers in Aotearoa: Family Group Homes, Non-Statutory Caregivers, and National Care Standards.
Care and Protection White Paper
In March 2024, Caring Families Aotearoa, along with a collective of non-government organisations (Wesley Community Action, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, Voyce Whakarongo Mai, Open Home Foundation, and Kia Puāwai), released the Care and Protection White Paper. The White Paper has been presented to The Minister for Children, Hon Karen Chhour, and offers our collective, high-level vision for the Care and Protection System in Aotearoa with the hope that it will form part of government policy.
Prior to releasing the White Paper, Caring Families Aotearoa independently released the Care and Protection Green Paper* to generate discussions and gather feedback on the performance of New Zealand’s care and protection system. We then began collaboratively working with our NGO collective to progress our Green Paper, using the feedback we received to help shape the proposals we have put forward in the White Paper.
*A green paper is a consultation document in which an organisation outlines its proposals about an issue and stakeholders have the opportunity to provide feedback.
Family Group
Homes
Across New Zealand, there are over 50 Family Group Homes that provide a transitional home for up to six tamariki in need of care and protection.
These homes are run by volunteers who told us they feel isolated, that their needs were not being met, and that their contracts were ambiguous and varied across the country.
At a local level, we have been working with them and their site offices to ensure that they feel well supported and their contracts are being met. At a national level, we have been advocating for consistent contracts for all Family Group Home caregivers.
Non-Statutory Caregivers
There are approximately 6,000 tamariki in statutory care, which means Oranga Tamariki is responsible for their wellbeing. There are a further 18,000 tamariki being looked after by a loving family member or by caregivers who have become their legal guardians. These caregivers are called community caregivers and have not been receiving the same benefits, training, and support as statutory caregivers.
We believe that anyone that opens their home to another’s child, should be well supported to do this, they should receive the same financial benefits as statutory caregivers, and have access to training. We are very pleased to see progress in some of these areas recently.
National Care Standards
The National Care Standards and Related Matters Regulations was legislated in 2018. This set out the standard of care every child and young person needs to do well, and be well, and sets out the support caregivers can expect to receive when they open their hearts and homes to tamariki and rangatahi/children and young people.
We advocate and empower all statutory caregivers to know this document, with a special focus on part three; “assessments, plans, and supports for Caregivers”. When agency practice does not align with the National Care Standards and caregivers ask us for our support, we advocate that they are upheld and demonstrated.
Advocacy Request Form
If you have an issue or concern that you would like us to advocate for on your behalf, please complete and send us the Advocacy Request form.