An Action Station petition calling for the Government to listen to the call of the young people with lived experience is gaining support despite the Government's refusal to halt progress on the bill.

The Oranga Tamariki Oversight Bill would weaken the independent oversight and monitoring of Oranga Tamariki. The bill was largely opposed at select committee process with hundreds opposed and only eight submissions in favour.

And yet, in the face of overwhelming opposition to the bill from the community, the Government has chosen to move forward with the Bill.

"Minister Sepuloni and Prime Minister Arden say they have confidence in the bill, however the community, leading organizations within the social sector, every political party in Parliament, bar Labour, and those with lived experience of the care system, do not. Even if the Minister believes the Government has it right here, she does not have the support of the community." Says Youth Worker and founder of advocacy group When Lambs Are Silent, Aaron Hendry "With reforms as vital as this one, it is imperative that the community and those with lived experience of the care system, have trust in the decisions being made. Currently, that support, and that trust, is not there."

When Lambs Are Silent calls on the Prime Minister, as Minister for Child Poverty Reduction, to intervene and halt the progress of this bill. The Prime Minister has stated that her aim is to make Aotearoa the best place to live for children. To do this, the voices of our young people, especially those with lived experience of our care system, must be at the centre of all decisions made for and about them.

This has not happened, and pushing forward with these reforms without the support of the community, threatens to further undermine trust in the care system, and put our most vulnerable rangatahi, tamariki, and pēpe at risk.

You can find the petition here: https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/listen-to-the-voices-care-experienced-rangatahi-stop-the-oversight-of-oranga-tamariki-bill

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When Lambs Are Silent is a movement and advocacy group committed to the belief that just because the world is the way it is, does not mean it must remain that way. When Lambs Are Silent seeks to highlight and tautoko voices that are often structurally marginalized, aiming to facilitate and elevate vital conversations, with the aim of building towards a more Just and inclusive Aotearoa.

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