Hon Karen Chhour
Minister for Children

More services, made possible thanks to increased funding achieved under this government, have had a positive impact on the lives of high support needs young people and their families.

Minister for Children Karen Chhour has confirmed that over the past year, Oranga Tamariki supported an extra 59 placements for children and young people with high support needs, including disability, across 11 accredited community care providers.

“The services provided to these young people include everyday support with routines like sleeping, eating, personal carers, communication, access to school and learning, and communication with peers, whānau, and community inclusion.

They also include everyday activities, like attendance at sports and other extracurricular activities, and wider family contact are also included and are of huge benefit for these young people.

These service providers utilise trauma/healing informed care and many provide specialist disability related support, which may include visual timetables, social stories, and communication tools, to help the young person manage and avoid triggers.”

Oranga Tamariki received $99.784 million over four years to fund services for children and young people with high support needs, including disability, through Budget 2024.

“This funding has ensured that they and their families are able to receive the right support at the right time. It is just one example of my commitment to fixing what matters for these young people and their families,” says Minister Chhour.

Note: 

Young people are considered to have high and complex needs when they experience multiple, significant challenges across several areas of their life — such as health, mental wellbeing, behaviour, disability, safety, family functioning, or social participation. For Oranga Tamariki, high and complex needs such as these require both systemic and intensive responses to meeting both specific needs as well as care and protection and safety concerns.

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