CYF must adopt a Whānau Ora approach

The chair of the North Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency says CYF must adopt a Whānau Ora approach when working with children and young people.

“Whānau focused solutions are integral to good outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi,” says Merepeka Raukawa-Tait in response to the Children’s Commissioner’s report on Child, Youth and Family released today.

“This is another report that confirms yet again that the status quo does not work, and that is why we need Whānau Ora to better support our tamariki mokopuna.”

“Government agencies continue their same old approach that achieves very little. It is now time to resource communities adequately to look after communities,” says Ms Raukawa-Tait.

Whānau Ora shifts the focus from individuals to collectives, from sectorial interventions to inter- sectorial collaboration, and from crisis intervention to capability building.

As a non-government organisation, Te Pou Matakana works with providers to meet the needs, interests and aspirations of their whānau and communities.

“We know that Whānau Ora is working for families because it empowers whānau to transform their own futures by taking control of their lives.”

“CYF must adopt a Whānau Ora approach that recognizes that there is no one size fits all approach,” said Ms Raukawa-Tait.

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait is the former Chief Executive of the Women’s Refuge and continues to advocate strongly for women and children to live in violence free homes.

“For the sake of our tamariki mokopuna, we all must do better,” says Ms Raukawa-Tait.

Te Pou Matakana is the North Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency and works with whānau and providers to support whānau aspirations.

ENDS