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A regular e-bulletin from the Child Wellbeing Network published with the support of the Public Health Association of New Zealand and Variety – the Children's Charity.
CWN is an informal network of individuals and organisations committed to promoting the wellbeing of all children in New Zealand by keeping people in touch with current issues affecting children. Please note we do not advocate in our own right or necessarily represent the views of all our members.
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Kia ora and greetings,
Welcome to the December 2018 email bulletin for the Child Wellbeing Network (CWN) – sharing information and supporting each other to promote child wellbeing.
As the year draws to a close it is timely to reflect on what progress has been made on child and youth wellbeing. And what a year it has been!
On 27 November the Child Poverty Reduction Bill had its third reading in the House. Politicians from across the House discussed child and youth wellbeing and rights, with the Prime Minister explaining that the Bill creates the infrastructure needed to ensure that children are at the heart of policy-making by successive governments.
There is much still to be done to ensure the aspirations expressed by politicians, and held dear by all of us working with and for children, are realised. Next year promises to be just as busy as this one has been. However, for now we should take a moment not only to reflect but also to take heart from what we are able to achieve through talking, listening and working together.
I would like to thank all of those who have made publication of the CWN bulletin possible this year: My CWN colleagues Dr Amanda D’Souza, Beth Wood, and Barbara Lambourn; Rob Zorn; Variety – the Children’s Charity; IHC; and the Public Health Association (PHA). I would especially like to acknowledge and thank Warren Lindberg who stepped down as Chief Executive of the PHA recently. Warren has been a steadfast supporter of the Child Wellbeing Network and this bulletin since its inception. We would not be here without him. Thank you Warren!
Finally many thanks to all of you for your continued contributions through the year to improving the wellbeing of children in Aotearoa New Zealand. E hara taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini. My strength is not as an individual but as a collective.
Wishing you and your whānau all the very best for a happy, restful and restorative holiday season. See you in the New Year!
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou,
Andrea Jamison, Editor
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In this issue:
Working together for children
- What's on when?
- News from the Children’s Commissioner
- News from the Child Wellbeing Unit
- Stats NZ: Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand – measuring wellbeing
- Child Rich Communities
- What's happening on the child poverty front?
It's only right – children's rights update
- Making sure young people really have a voice and can truly participate
- Sport and child protection
- Digital advertising and children
- Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa.
Protecting children from violence
- Changing attitudes to physical punishment of children in New Zealand
- Sport and child protections
- Family violence legislation passed
- News from the Family Violence Clearinghouse.
Caring for children – families and others who look after children
- State of care report 2018 – Maiea te Tūruapō – Fulfilling the Vision
- Time to address State care differently – with hapū and iwi taking the lead
- Historical Abuse in State Care Royal Commission
- Review of 2014 Family Court reforms.
Children first: Children and young people with disabilities
- Breaking the link between disability and child and whānau poverty.
Keeping children safe and well
- Well Child/Tamariki Ora review
- Eat right, Be bright
- Targeted meningococcal vaccination programme for Northland
- Calls for radical changes to the health system
- Waitangi Tribunal Health Services and Outcomes inquiry
- New Zealand Health and Disability System review
- Ban on smoking in cars
- Promoting wellbeing through sexuality education
- No improvement in childhood tooth decay rates
- Figures on 2015 fetal and infant deaths released
- Junk food advertising and children – 'big holes' in regulations
- Up to 1500 children were evicted from homes due to meth testing policy
- Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction.
Learning, play and culture – children's education, leisure and cultural activities
- Kōrero Mātauranga – let’s talk about education
- Education for all – despite investment wait times for early intervention services grow
- Time to fix "the whiteness of our education system"
- Schools are not about ranking and sorting.
A fair go for all – children who need special attention
- 17-year-olds in Youth Justice from July 2019 – what are some of the implications?
About the Child Wellbeing Network
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Working together to put children on the agenda
What's on when? Key dates for submissions and events
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News from the Children’s Commissioner
Child and Youth Engagement Toolkit
 The Office of the Children's Commissioner has developed a toolkit to support organisations to talk to children and young people about wellbeing. You can use this to structure a conversation about wellbeing with children and young people.
Find out more.
Read the Commissioner's special newsletter about the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy.
Rights: now! New resource for teachers to help children make their voices heard
To mark Universal Children's Day, the Office of the Children's Commissioner has released a new resource to help children in New Zealand primary schools know their rights, specifically their right to have a say on issues that affect them.
Rights: Now! includes two session plans, hands-on activities and background as well as a child friendly "Children's Convention" poster explaining each of their rights.
Read the Rights: Now! resource on the Office's website.
Find out more.
Follow the Office of the Children's Commissioner on Facebook and on Twitter.
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News from the Child Wellbeing Unit
 The first Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy will be published in 2019 and will set the direction for how to improve the wellbeing of children and young people in New Zealand. Public engagement on the development of the initial Strategy closed on 5 December 2018.
Watch the Prime Minister talk about the Strategy.
Read the latest Cabinet papers and see the proposed outcomes and draft outcomes framework.
The Child Wellbeing Unit has been set up in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and is tasked with developing the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy.
Find out more about the Child Wellbeing Unit and register to receive updates.
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Stats NZ: Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand – measuring wellbeing
 Stats NZ is developing Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand – measuring wellbeing as a source of measures for New Zealand's wellbeing.
The indicators will go beyond economic measures, such as gross domestic product (GDP), to include wellbeing and sustainable development.
Find out more.
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Child Rich Communities
 Child Rich Communities is about growing a movement of people who think and work in community-led ways to improve child, family and whānau wellbeing.
A webinar series which explored key practice principles that mobilise the community and improve child and family wellbeing are now available online.
Find out more about the Child Rich Communities project and watch the webinars.
Read the Child Rich Communities principles.
If this sounds like you, something you're interested in, or what you are currently doing in your community, please drop Lisa Woods at Inspiring Communities a line – they would love to help share your story. Lisa's contact details are lisa.woods@inspiringcommunities.org.nz, or 021 1228 273.
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What’s happening on the child poverty front?
Child Poverty Monitor 2018 released
 The latest Child Poverty Monitor has been released by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and reveals the many interconnected ways poverty impacts on the lives of children and their families. The Monitor reports:
- one-in-five children under the age of 15 – amounting to between 161,000 and 188,000 children – experience moderate-to-severe food insecurity and can't count on having regular nutritious meals
- children (under the age of 15) living in the lowest income households are twice as likely to be hospitalised for medical conditions than those on the highest of incomes, with Māori and Pasifika children represented most highly in the hospitalisation rates
- children living in neighbourhoods with the highest deprivation had a mortality rate four times higher than children in well-off neighbourhoods.
"There is no room for budgets to carry the extra costs, and families as a result are less able to afford healthy food that supports children’s developmental needs. The result is that children may suffer from malnutrition, poor oral health and weakened immune responses. Their ability to learn is compromised, and their mental health may suffer. Children's long-term outcomes are at substantial risk when they experience poverty from a young age," says Professor Innes Asher, Health spokesperson for Child Poverty Action Group.
Find out more.
Read CPAG's media release on the 2018 Monitor.
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News from the Child Poverty Unit
The Child Poverty Unit has been established in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and is engaging in the development of the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy.
Find out more and read papers on the Child Poverty Reduction Bill.
Read the Cabinet paper on investing for social wellbeing.
Submissions on the Child Poverty Reduction Bill closed on 4 April and the Social Services and Community Select Committee has reported back with amendments. The Bill should be passed before the end of the year.
Follow the Bill's progress and read submissions.
CPAG campaign – Welfare fit for families
 Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) wants to see policy-makers and politicians reform the welfare system so it is based on principles of compassion and caring, and the real needs of families, without stressful over-emphasis on work, and punitive, corrective methodologies. To this end it has launched Welfare fit for families.
CPAG is calling for policy changes that will improve income advocacy:
- substantially improving core benefits
- removing harsh sanctions that impact on children
- ensuring that all benefits and all parts of Working for Families (WFF) are indexed annually to prices and wages
- removing the hours of paid work criteria from the WFF In-Work Tax Credit and extending it to all low-income families
- treating adults in the benefit system as individuals without penalising them for being in a partnership
- focusing on what will give children better outcomes and less on moving their carers into paid work
- ensuring that applicants receive all the assistance to which they are entitled.
Check out the Welfare fit for families video series.
Visit the Welfare fit for families campaign page or email comms@cpag.org.nz to find out more.
Quick links to information on child poverty
Keep up-to-date with the great work being done by the Child Poverty Action Group, including latest news, campaigns, upcoming events and report releases.
Check the Child Poverty Monitor online or on Facebook.
The infographics on the Child Poverty Monitor website can be downloaded for use in presentations, on websites and other communications.
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It’s only right – children’s rights update
Making sure young people really have a voice and can truly participate
 In this short video from Talking Trouble, Sally Kedge explains how speech language therapy and improved communication can help make sure children and young people can truly participate in decision-making about them.
Watch the video.
Find out more about Talking Trouble Aotearoa NZ, including resources, upcoming workshops, and the specialised communication assistance they offer in justice contexts.
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Digital advertising and children
Recently in New Zealand, marketing expert Professor Gerard Hastings warned that big brands are using digital advertising to turbocharge the marketing of unhealthy products to children and teenagers.
Find out more.
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Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa
Key points for the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy
 On 22 November ACYA chaired a Tick for Kids meeting which workshopped the key points for submissions on the draft outcomes framework for the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy.
It was rich korero! Dr Claire Achmad Steering Committee Member, Action for Children & Youth Aotearoa and General Manager Advocacy, Barnardos, wrote up an overview of the key points the meeting agreed it would be good to include in our submissions.
ACYA hopes this will lead to positive revisions of the draft outcomes framework, and help to further shape the thinking of government officials working on the Strategy, and strengthen the Strategy further.
Advocating, advancing and promoting the rights of all children and young people
ACYA's annual report Advocating, advancing and promoting the rights of all children and young people is now available online. Read what ACYA has been up to and is planning.
International reporting – UPR
Aotearoa New Zealand’s human rights record will be reviewed at the United Nations in Geneva for its third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 21 January 2019.
ACYA, CPAG, Save the Children and IHC teamed up to co-ordinate an NGO report on children rights issues for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and presented at the incountry pre-sessional in October 2019.
Read the Children’s Rights Report UPR 3 Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Protecting children from violence
Changing attitudes to physical punishment of children in New Zealand
 A new report from Save the Children New Zealand shares recent research on whether adults think it is ever okay to physically punish children. The research shows public tolerance of physical punishment of children is declining, and there are positive gains in parents believing that physical punishment of children is not acceptable.
There remains a number of parents who are unsure whether hitting their children is appropriate, and a smaller group who still believe hitting or smacking is acceptable.
Read the report.
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Sport and child protection
Sport NZ's Sport integrity review discussion document includes a section on child protection in sport. Feedback is due by 11 December.
Find out more.
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Family violence legislation passed
Two significant family violence bills have passed through Parliament and will become law.
Find out more.
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News from the Family Violence Clearing House
 Keep an eye on the Family Violence Clearinghouse for the latest information about research and initiatives to keep children safe and to help those affected by violence.
Latest issues covered include:
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Caring for children – families and others who look after children
State of care report 2018 – Maiea te Tūruapō – Fulfilling the Vision
 The Office of the Children Commissioner's State of Care series is based on its independent monitoring of Oranga Tamariki policies, practices and services. It includes feedback from children and young people about their experiences.
The focus for the 2018 State of Care is on support for young people with at-risk behaviour to live successfully in their communities. The title for the 2018 State of Care report is Maiea te Tūruapō – Fulfilling the Vision. In his introduction Judge Becroft reflects on the lost opportunity that was the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act 1989 and urges realistion of the original intent from Puao-Te-Ata-Tu under the new Oranga Tamariki legislation.
Find out more.
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Time to address State care differently – with hāpu and iwi taking the lead
In delivering the 2018 Ethel Benjamin address recently, Chief District Court Judge Jan-Marie Doogue supported the Children’s Commissioner’s calls for a kaupapa Māori approach to State care. Justice Doogue commented on the principles that will need to be taken into account under the Oranga Tamariki Act from July 2019 and the implications for the care system and Court processes.
It's well worth a read.
Find out more.
Read Justice Doogue’s speech.
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Historical Abuse in State Care Royal Commission
 The Government has released the final terms of reference for the Royal Commission into abuse in care. Key changes include expanding the inquiry to include abuse in the care of faith-based institutions, and discretion to hear about abuse outside the time period of 1950-1999.
The inquiry is now called the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-Based Institutions.
In addition, four members have been added to the inquiry panel along with the chair Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand. They are: Ali’imuamua Sandra Alofivae, MNZM; Dr Andrew Erueti; Paul Gibson; and Judge Coral Shaw. The inquiry will also establish an advisory group or groups of survivors of abuse in care.
Find out more.
Follow the Inquiry.
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Review of 2014 Family Court reforms
Submissions on the 2014 family justice reforms are now closed. The independent panel considering the 2014 family justice reforms will now consider what people have told them and a second phase of consultation, focused on the panel’s preferred approach, will begin in January 2019. The panel's report will be delivered to the Minister of Justice in May 2019.
Find out more including key dates for the review.
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Children first: Children and young people with disabilities
Breaking the link between disability and child and whānau poverty
 A new article by Sam Murray, CCS Disability Action, finds that:
- disabled children are more likely to live in a one-parent household than are non-disabled children
- the primary carers of disabled children have a higher unemployment rate than one aprent households in general.
As a result, households with disabled children are significantly more likely to experience income poverty.
The article makes a clear case for an overhaul of support for households with disabled children to better enable carers/parents to work and to provide more equitable and effective support.
Read the article.
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Keeping children safe and well
Well Child/Tamariki Ora review
Well Child/Tamariki Ora is to be reviewed over the next two years, concluding in 2020. The review aims to make Well Child/Tamariki Ora more sustainable, equitable, accessible to all, capable of delivering measurable outcomes, and flexible to adapt to future needs.
Find out more.
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Eat right, Be bright
 Eat right, Be bright wants every child nutritiously fed every day, in every school to improve learning and each child’s sense of wellbeing and value by removing the long-lasting stigma and emotional impact of going to school without lunch.
Recognising that New Zealand is a unique country and needs a school programme that is suited to Kiwi kids they are calling for:
- a healthy and nutritious lunch for every child at school
- secured by legislation (underpinned by the Ministry of Health guidelines)
- it to be centrally resourced by Government and operated centrally by paid professional sand nutritionists, leaving teachers and principals free to teach.
- free for all OR free for some, but always free from stigma
- locally sourced wherever possible and sustainable
- powered by communities through parent and child involvement
- parents to be able to opt out
- schools to receive an uplift in their general funds for high take-up of school meals to support minimal stigmatisation.
Find out more about Eat right, Be bright.
Sign the petition calling for legislation that the Government provide a daily fresh, healthy, nutritious and delicious lunch to all children at school and in early childhood education in New Zealand:
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Targeted meningococcal vaccination programme for Northland
A targeted vaccination programme has been launched in Northland to control an outbreak of meningococcal disease.
Find out more.
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Calls for radical changes to the health system
 Angered by seeing "another brown kid" die in New Zealand, Dr Lance O'Sullivan is calling for radical changes to the health system and a new health care model.
Find out more.
Waitangi Tribunal Health Services and Outcomes inquiry
The Waitangi Tribunal’s kaupapa inquiry into health services and outcomes is underway. Stage one (with hearings running from October to December 2018 and closings likely in March 2019) will inquire into aspects of primary care.
Stage two will cover three priority areas encompassing mental health (including suicide and self-harm), Māori with disabilities, and issues of alcohol, tobacco, and substance abuse.
Find out more.
New Zealand Health and Disability System review
A review of the New Zealand health and disability system is underway, chaired by Ms Heather Simpson. The review will identify opportunities to improve the performance, structure, and sustainability of the system with a goal of achieving equity of outcomes, and contributing to wellness for all, particularly Māori and Pacific peoples. An interim report is due by July 2019 and a final report by 31 March 2020.
Find out more and read the terms of reference.
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Ban on smoking in cars
 There are media reports that Government is planning to ban smoking in cars carrying children under 18. The move follows calls from the Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft to "Ban it. Stop it. Move on it."
Find out more.
Promoting wellbeing through sexuality education
ERO has reported on how well schools are promoting and supporting student wellbeing through sexuality education. They found that where sexuality education is well taught it has a positive impact on wellbeing. However there is inconsistent curriculum coverage across schools.
Find out more.
No improvement in childhood tooth decay rates
Nationally, 40 percent of five-year-olds who got dental check-ups in 2017 had some form of tooth decay, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health.
Find out more.
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Figures on 2015 fetal and infant deaths released
 The Ministry of Health has released statistics on fetal and infant deaths for 2015. Key findings were:
- There were 384 fetal deaths and 266 infant deaths registered in 2015.
- This equates to a fetal death rate of 6.1 per 1000 total births and an infant death rate of 4.3 per 1000 live births.
- Between 1996 and 2015, there was a statistically significant decrease in the infant death rate. The rate fell by 41 percent, from 7.3 to 4.3 per 1000 live births. This decrease was primarily due to a notable decrease in post-neonatal deaths.
- Over the same time period, the fetal death rate fluctuated between 6.0 and 8.5 per 1000 total births.
Find out more.
View other tier 1 statistics.
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Junk food advertising and children – 'big holes' in regulations
 Healthy Auckland Together laid a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about an ad for Kinder Surprise chocolate, which it claimed specifically targets children. The ASA ruled the advertisement did not breach the Children and Young People’s Advertising Code because it was placed where children were not a significant proportion of the likely audience.
Find out why Healthy Auckland Together and others believe current rules around advertising junk food are not working.
Read the ASA decision.
Up to 1500 children were evicted from homes due to meth testing policy
Although exact numbers are not known (because records are based on the lead tenant who will be an adult), it has been reported that up to 1500 children were by evicted by Housing NZ under its meth testing policy.
Find out more.
Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction
The Inquiry Panel looking into Mental Health and Addiction has formally handed over to the Minister of Health Hon Dr David Clark He Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry. He Ara Oranga is available on the Inquiry website.
Find out more.
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Learning, play and culture – children's education, leisure and cultural activities
Kōrero Mātauranga – let’s talk about education
 Education reform and the Government's Education Conversation | Kōrero Mātauranga is continuing.
Find out more about the education work programme, including progress in the big reviews, key initiatives and medium-term strategies.
Read the initial report on the main themes from the survey responses.
Tomorrow’s Schools report released – for every child the best quality education possible
The Tomorrow's Schools Independent Taskforce has released its report on the provision of compulsory school in Aotearoa New Zealand. In his introduction the Taskforce chair, Bali Haque, says the Taskforce's recommendations are aimed at ensuring every child, and they mean every single child in Aotearoa New Zealand receives the best quality education possible.
The report covers eight key issues:
- Governance
- Schooling Provision
- Competition and Choice
- Disability and Learning Support
- Teaching
- Leadership
- Resourcing
- Central Government agencies
Submissions or queries can be emailed to tomorrows.schools@education.govt.nz. Taskforce-led regional hui will take place in February/March 2019. More information on these will be available in early 2019.
Find out more and read the report.
See the Taskforce's timeline.
Read an overview of the proposed changes.
Find out how the report has been received.
Find out about proposed changes for intermediate schools.
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Education for all – despite investment wait times for early intervention services grow
 Increased funding for early intervention services for pre-schoolers with disabilities was announced in May, and was expected to halve waitlists. However, the average wait for a first appointment has since grown by 27 days since then.
A workforce shortage has made finding specialists for the service, which provides psychologists, speech-language therapists and other specialists for children under five, difficult.
Find out more.
Read Associate Minister of Education Tracey Martin's response to a written parliamentary question on the issue.
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Time to fix "the whiteness of our education system"
 A Tongan Auckland high school student has issued a plea to educators not to make her a "brown Palangi" – a brown-skinned person with European values. Foloiola Finau, a Year 13 student at Kia Aroha College in Ōtara, says education initiatives should aim not to "fix" Māori and Pasifika students who are seen as "failures", but to fix "the whiteness of our education system".
Find out more about Foloiola Finau’s views on fixing systems not people.
Find out more about Kia Aroha College.
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'Schools are not about ranking and sorting'
An Auckland primary school has cancelled its school prizegiving to move away from ranking students against each other and boost self-motivation. Principal Cameron lockie explained: "Children are likely to become enthusiastic, lifelong learners as a result of being provided with an engaging curriculum; a safe, caring community in which to discover and create; and a significant degree of choice about what, and how and why, they are learning,"
Find out more.
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A fair go for all children – children who need special attention
17-year-olds in Youth Justice from July 2019 – what are some of the implications?
 From 1 July 2019, 17-year-olds will be included in the Youth Justice system (currently only those aged up to 18-years-of-age are included).
This RNZ Insight documentary explores how secure youth justice care works now and what the opportunities and challenges are ahead as more young people are included in the youth justice system instead of the adult justice system.
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About the Child Wellbeing Network
The Child Wellbeing Network is an informal network of individuals and organisations committed to promoting the wellbeing of all children in New Zealand and ensuring that children's interests are a priority concern for all decision-makers.
We do this by sharing information and encouraging support amongst the many working in the field to maximise the impact of our own initiatives, and to facilitate strategic action for children. We do not claim to represent the views of our members. Neither do we advocate in our own right or duplicate existing efforts.
The four key principles underpinning our work are that:
- all children in New Zealand deserve a fair go
- children's best interests should be a primary consideration in any decision affecting them
- every child is entitled to reach their full potential
- children are active participants in life and their voices should be heard.
These principles are based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
How can you subscribe to the CWN bulletin?
Subscribe to the CWN Bulletin here. It's free and you do not have to be a member of the CWN.
Joining CWN
If you would like to become a member, please contact Andrea Jamison or Amanda D’Souza for a copy of the CWN Terms of Reference so you can make sure you agree with them..
Email group
We have set up an email group for members of the network to share information quickly or seek advice, comments or help. Members can send an email to the group by emailing childwellbeingnetwork@googlegroups.com. Members have all agreed to the Terms of Reference.
If you would like to add an item on the next bulletin please email Andrea Jamison. The editorial team decide what items will be published in accordance with the Network’s Terms of Reference. We welcome feedback and suggestions as CWN is a work in progress.
Disclaimer: Please note, unless specifically stated, opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Public Health Association or Variety – the Children's Charity.
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