Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeArdern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 11 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:11973. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]8.JACINDA ARDERN (Labour)to theMinister for Social Development: Does she stand by the statement made on her behalf in the House yesterday that “there will always be times when resources are stretched but I believe we do have sufficient resources to care for the needs of vulnerable children”?Hon CHESTER BORROWS (Acting Minister for Social Development):Yes. In particular I stand by my statement that we now have more social workers with a bigger budget investigating more cases in a more timely way.Jacinda Ardern: If Child Youth and Family has all the resources it needs to deal with the 50 percent increase in notifications that require further action since 2008 why do the Midland region and the central region which include Rotorua right through to Porirua have fewer permanent social workers now than they did 5 years ago?Hon CHESTER BORROWS: It is important to note that across the country there are 250 more social workers working on the front line. They are investigating more cases that are reported to them and there are 150000 notifications a year. Each is triaged each is investigated and in the cases that the member quoted yesterday every one of them was dealt with within the time frame and the issue was around the length of time it took to record not to act and intervene.Jacinda Ardern: Point of—Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I apologise to the member. That was a very specific question about a particular region and the numbers and it was not addressed.Mr SPEAKER: There was a specific question around two regions Midland and central. I think it would be helpful for the member to ask the question again for the Minister.Jacinda Ardern: If Child Youth and Family has all the resources it needs to deal with the 50 percent increase in notifications that require further action since 2008 why do the Midland region and the central region which include Rotorua through to Porirua have fewer permanent staff now than they did 5 years ago?Hon CHESTER BORROWS: I can only conclude because they are meeting the time frames required that they do have sufficient resources in those two regions.Jacinda Ardern: Does he agree with the statement by LucySandford-Reed Chief Executive of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers that “CYF staff levels have not increased at the level that’s matching the number of notifications that are being recorded” and “are simply a drop in the bucket”; if not what evidence does he have that staffing levels are sufficient?Hon CHESTER BORROWS: I believe that Child Youth and Family social worker numbers have increased adequately to deal with the increased notifications and I also note that the way in which matters are dealt with now—the way investigations are run technology use and cross-agency collaboration—means that we are doing it in different ways from what we have in the past and that reflects the numbers.Jacinda Ardern: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I did ask what evidence was available to back up—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption ] Order! The difficulty is the member asked two questions within her supplementary question and the Minister has obviously chosen to answer the first question. [Interruption ] Order! The Minister quite clearly answered the first part about whether he agreed with the statement by a lady you quoted. He has quite clearly answered that.Jacinda Ardern: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It seemed to me that actually the Minister was addressing the second part of the question but in doing so did not go all the way to actually providing any kind of evidence rather than just—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have ruled that the Minister addressed the first part of the member’s question. He is not required to answer the second part. Has the member further supplementary questions?Jacinda Ardern: Why will the Minister not agree to a baseline review of Child Youth and Family given that the last one was 10 years ago under Labour and since thattime demand on social workers has grown exponentially or has the Minister instead prioritised her trip to Malta to sign a pension portability agreement that affects just five Kiwis?Hon CHESTER BORROWS: It is interesting to note that the Minister in charge of Child Youth and Family in 2003 the Hon Ruth Dyson quite appropriately did a baseline review because of the fact that that department was in disarray. We have benefited over time from that review but just to give an example in March 2004—a year after that review—the number of unallocated cases was 4709. As of 31 May this year there were 44 unallocated cases.