ANZASW Response To The 1st Annual Report Released By Te Mana Whakamaru Tamariki Motuhake: Independent Children’s Monitor

Thursday, 3 February 2022, 8:03 pm
Press Release: ANZASW

Te Mana Whakamaru Tamariki Motuhake: Independent Children’s Monitor (ICM) released their first full monitoring report, Experiences of Care in Aotearoa: Agency Compliance with the National Care Standards and Related Matters Regulations, this week. The ICM report highlights ongoing challenges for Oranga Tamariki to meet the care needs of tamariki and rangatahi and support their caregivers under the National Care Standards. We are pleased to see the voices of tamariki and rangatahi included, as well as caregivers.

Further to this, Oranga Tamariki released their biannual State of Children in Care report. Over the 6 month period of June to December 2020, 214 (3.8%) children in State care had a finding of harm whilst in care.

These two reports demonstrate there is significant work that needs to be done by Oranga Tamariki to ensure that it is providing high quality care and support to tamariki and rangatahi in their care. 

ANZASW is calling for reform of the Oranga Tamariki monitoring system. The ICM report has further heightened our concerns about the monitoring system. It is disappointing this report was released after submissions closed last week on the Oranga Tamariki Oversight Bill.

Monitoring and system-wide accountability is important for quality assurance and to ensure safety for tamariki and rangatahi in care. However, the monitoring system must not place undue additional burden on the already strained system.

We are concerned about the ICM having nearly 200 measures and this will divert resources away from tamariki and whānau to ensure compliance with the National Care Standards. 

We are worried that excessive monitoring will create compliance-driven practice, rather than tamariki and whānau-centred practice.

Social workers will end up spending more time undertaking administration to demonstrate compliance with standards rather than spending time with and addressing the needs of tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau.

We must ensure that the system is adequately resourced to meet the standards we rightly expect for tamariki and rangatahi.

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