10. Question No. 10—ChildrenTAMATHA PAUL (Green—Wellington Central) to the Minister for ChildrenQuestion No. 10—Children10. TAMATHA PAUL (Green—Wellington Central) to the Minister for Children: Does she agree with official advice that military-style bootcamps are likely to be detrimental to young people with a history of abuse"; if not why not?Hon KAREN CHHOUR (Minister for Children): First of all I'd like to say I disagree with the member's interpretation of the advice as asked in the question. If you take the advice as it was stated in full which said "Traditional bootcamp models of strict discipline are likely to be detrimental to young people with a history of abuse and family violence." yes I do agree. The advice also noted that programmes which include elements of counselling and have primary focus on rehabilitation are significantly more effective. The programme that this Government is working on will have a military-style component with a rehabilitative and trauma - informed care approach. This is not just about consequences for young people who offend but actually showing them that they have it within themselves to turn their lives around. It will give them the tools and the encouragement that they need to do so.Tamatha Paul: Does she think the 86 percent reoffending rate of the last military-style activity camps is a sign of success and if not why is she repeating this failed experiment that causes traumatised young people more harm?Hon KAREN CHHOUR: The military-style academies in the Military-style Activity Camp programme were run between 2010 and 2016. An evaluation of that programme showed positive results with improvements in attitude and motivation of the young people to address their offending. However it was also found that the lack of robust support once the young person left the programme meant that the improvements in outcomes were not realised to the extent that they might have been. That is why the programme that this Government is working on is going to have a rehabilitative and trauma - informed care approach alongside the military approach to ensure that these young people will receive the full wraparound support they need to turn their lives around.Tamatha Paul: Does she think it's acceptable to experiment on young people when there is a wealth of evidence on what works to reduce youth crime?Hon KAREN CHHOUR: What I don't find acceptable is not giving these young people the tools and the care that they need to turn their lives around. We need to make sure that we're giving them everything that they need to know that they are worth something and that they can become the best that they can be.Tamatha Paul: Why does she expect military-style bootcamps to work in Aotearoa this time around when officials advised of numerous international evidence of bootcamps being the least effective interventions when it comes to reducing youth reoffending?Hon KAREN CHHOUR: Oranga Tamariki has received multiple advice from different agencies looked around to different programmes taken learnings from those programmes—what worked what didn't work—in creating this new programme which will make sure that our young people are not out reoffending and causing harm in our communities. This is about reducing harm in our communities and making sure that our young people have the right support behind them.Tamatha Paul: Can she name a single evidence-based reason as to why she is pursuing military-style bootcamps when all of the evidence is stacked against them?Hon KAREN CHHOUR: What the evidence does show us is what we are doing now is not working. We can't accept the status quo. We need to make sure that we are giving these young people the tools they need to be the best that they can be. And I believe that this Government is truly caring about making sure that we are reducing harm within our communities but also making sure that we are reducing these young people going back into communities without the support that they need to turn their lives around."