Welfare proposals right to focus on children
22 February 2011
Welfare proposals right to focus on children - Children’s Commissioner
Children’s
Commissioner John Angus says he is pleased to see the
interests of children given plenty of attention in the
Welfare Working Group’s proposals.
“Much of
what the group has proposed, if implemented with flexibility
and always taking account of children’s interests, should
result in long-term benefits for New Zealand’s youngest
citizens.
“But some suggestions have the
potential to put the well-being of children at risk. I would
urge the government to take a cautious approach to them,”
he said.
The Commissioner applauds recognition in
the report that the welfare system is tied closely to
children’s interests and should operate to improve their
well-being. He strongly supports the recommendation that
proposed changes to the system should always be assessed
against the likely impact on children, and their actual
impact constantly monitored and reported
on.
“I’m positive about the emphasis on
flexible support for parents on a benefit. I think a
transition payment that supports parents into work is a good
idea and is a good investment of taxpayers’ dollars,” he
said.
“The suggestion that access to child care
be improved is another positive. Supporting parents into
paid work will require a reduction in cost and an increase
in the flexibility of child care provision. I’d accept
there is room to better target funding of child care to
those on lower incomes
“The Welfare Working Group
makes some suggestions about taking a hard-line with parents
on benefits who don’t care for their children well. There
are some complications in this - including treating people
differently on the basis of their source of income. I am
also not sure that income management will solve issues of
truancy. Going further to cut benefits could in fact make
things worse for children.
“I would also suggest
that government thinks very hard before adopting the
proposal to require sole parents who have another child
while on a benefit to look for and take up paid work when
their new child is 14 weeks old.
“It would be in
the best interests of that child if the parent was supported
to look after that baby well while at home, instead of
searching for work at such an important time in the
child’s life.
“Government policies need to
support parents of very young infants to spend longer than
14 weeks at home with their child, regardless of whether
they are on a benefit or
not.
Ends.