The Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) notes the introduction of new intensive services by Oranga Tamariki, Ministry for Children, designed to reduce the number of children / tamariki uplifted into state care.

The Association commends Oranga Tamariki for demonstrating its commitment to intervention, in keeping with their stated goal of decreasing the number of children / tamariki entering the state care system.

Furthermore, we note that intensive services such have been proven to be successful in the past, as in the case of Matua Whangai, the intensive foster care service and comparable NGO programmes, such as those provided by the Family Help Trust, have produced good results.

With this in mind, we reflect that it would be appropriate for Oranga Tamariki to identify other intensive services that have achieved positive outcomes in the past, but were abandoned for various reasons, and consider how they could be reintroduced or remoulded to meet current needs and expectations of care and protection of children / tamariki and young people / rangatahi.

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