Well, what a welcome to 2023 some of us have had. Our thoughts are with all our affected whānau around the country. The stories and images that have come from the Upper North, East Coast and some of our central north regions have been heartbreaking. So many people have lost so much, and our hearts go out to all.

We know there are so many worries for families at the moment, these terrible weather events come at a time when we have a cost-of-living crisis, which impacts us all on so many levels.

At National Office, we are thinking of you, and we are here to support caregivers through these very difficult times. Please remember that you can contact us for support, call our free phone number – 0800 693 323, anytime Monday – Friday from 08.30 am – 5.00 pm, if you need to talk. Our Therapist Rob is also available on this number and can offer some great guidance and support to you and your whānau.

Some of you may have seen the latest report from Aroturuki Tamariki, Independent Children’s Monitor (ICM), on Experiences of Care in Aotearoa. This report is the second annual check to see if agencies with custody and care responsibilities are complying with the National Care Standards (NCS), and whether positive outcomes are being achieved for tamariki and rangatahi in care. To check this, the report looks at data from the agencies and listens to the voices of lived experience.

Being the second year of this report, this was the first opportunity to see whether Oranga Tamariki and other agencies have done what they said they would last year, and most importantly whether the quality of care has improved. Unfortunately, the report does not paint a great picture. Oranga Tamariki is still not meeting the minimum standards for tamariki in care. It has made progress on its work programme, but there was a lack of any meaningful improvements in its data, or in the experiences of tamariki, caregivers and others.

Some of the key findings include;

• Social workers need to be able to spend more time with tamariki, caregivers, whānau and communities.
• Oranga Tamariki couldn’t provide data to determine whether the health and education needs of tamariki and rangatahi in care are being met.
• Lack of availability and access to mental health services remains a barrier.
• Caregivers need more support and access to important information about tamariki in their care.
• Caregivers and their households are not always fully assessed before tamariki start living in the home.
• Not enough collaboration and communication occurs between government agencies.
• Oranga Tamariki are not meeting the regulatory requirement to self monitor compliance with the National Care Standards Regulations.

We know this report is not a reflection on the mahi that you all do every day as caregivers. We know you do your best every day, if you have concerns or needs that are not being met, especially around the health and educational needs of your tamariki and rangatahi, please communicate with your social worker to ensure they are aware of your concerns.

If you would like to read a summary or the full report please click here.

On a lighter note, we really do appreciate all that you do for some of our most vulnerable children in Aotearoa. To show our appreciation, during Foster Care Awareness Week, (6-12 March), we are holding several events around the country to celebrate you. To find out more about what is happening in your area, please follow the link to our website – Foster Care Awareness Week Events –scroll down for your region and register for an event.

Noho ora mai (stay well)

Linda