Tolley AnneCHILDREN YOUNG PERSONS AND THEIR FAMILIES (ADVOCACY WORKFORCE AND AGE SETTINGS) AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingHon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): I move That the Children Young Persons and Their Families (Advocacy Workforce and Age Settings) Amendment Bill be now read a third time. I want to take this opportunity to briefly reflect on the journey of this bill. In April 2016 I released the Government's response to the final report of the expert panel I had appointed to review the current childcare protection and youth justice systems in New Zealand. The report made a very clear case for change proposing a bold set of recommendations for child protection and care. As a result the Government agreed to major State care reforms and a complete overhaul of these systems to improve the outcomes of New Zealand's most vulnerable children and young people. I would particularly like to acknowledge the children and young people and their supporters who have bravely shared their experiences of our current system. Their feedback on what more we can do to provide them with stable and loving homes has been absolutely invaluable. This bill is just the beginning of delivering what will be lasting and transformational change for vulnerable children and young people. I expect to introduce a further set of legislative reforms to the House by the end of the year which will continue this focus on delivering better long-term life outcomes for these children and young people. On 1 April 2017 the new Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki will be in place and this bill is intended to provide the legislative foundation for a child-centred system.Can I thank the Social Services Committee for its consideration of the bill. The changes that it has recommended have greatly improved the clarity of the bill in line with the policy intent. I also want to thank the members of the public who assisted the committee in its consideration of the bill through written and oral submissions. It is always encouraging to hear how passionate New Zealanders are about making a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable children and young people. I also want to acknowledge the broad support of the members of this House for most aspects of the bill and their thoughtful approach to this first piece of legislation. We know that the current system does not place children at its heart and it is not meeting the needs of vulnerable young people as they move into adulthood. We know that leaving the care and protection system at the age of 17 can seriously impact a young person's life. Young people who have spent time in care have spoken of their pronounced sense of vulnerability as they moved into adulthood. This bill extends the statutory age of care and protection to include young people under 18 and it will enable vulnerable young people aged 17 to remain in State care for an additional year and if necessary to have access to interventions under the Children Young Persons and Their Families Act to protect them from maltreatment.This is the first step towards delivering a system that provides children and young people with the safety care love and support that they need to transition into adulthood. The next step will be to enable young people to remain with or return to living with a caregiver up to the age of 21 with transitional support and advice up to 25. That will be part of that further legislative reform introduced later this year.Young people whom I have spoken to—up and down the country actually—have told me that they do not feel that they have a voice in the decisions that are being made about them. This bill helps to address this by supporting the establishment of independent advocacy services. It places a new duty on the chief executive to ensure that services are available that provide children and young people with an opportunity to and support to express their views about matters that are important to them and about the system more generally. The bill also enables children and young people to participate in decisions being made about them through strengthened obligations in the Children Young Persons and Their Families Act. Children and young people will be encouraged and assisted to participate in proceedings and processes and will be given opportunities to express their views on matters that may affect them. These views must be taken into account. The bill also includes a new duty on the chief executive to ensure that the views of children and young people are taken into account in the development of departmental services and policies. This will ensure that their views are embedded in the system. Supporting children and young people to have a stronger voice in the system is the key to creating a system that is truly child-centred. That is what this bill is all about. The new ministry will take a more multidisciplinary approach to child protection work and decision making. The bill supports this by enabling a broader range of professionals with specialist skills to perform functions and powers under the Act to identify and meet the needs of vulnerable children and young people. The bill vests functions and powers that currently sit with social workers in the chief executive. The chief executive will then be able to delegate these functions and powers to social workers and to other appropriately qualified individuals. Too many of our young people today are presenting with higher and more complex issues that cannot be solved by social work alone. We need this multidisciplinary approach—many professionals coming together and working collectively—if we are to help children young people and their families. This model is common to English-speaking jurisdictions. It is worth emphasising that in the delegation of these functions the responsibility for the exercise of the function remains with the chief executive.I do want to take time to acknowledge the special contribution that social workers have in the care and protection and youth justice systems. On a daily basis social workers navigate challenging circumstances and make tough decisions in order to keep children safe and ensure their well-being. Social workers are expected to continue to be the main professionals responsible for carrying out many of the functions under the Act. I recognise that this is a significant shift from the status quo and that is why this bill imposes additional controls on the chief executive's ability to delegate those powers and functions in addition to those set out in the State Sector Act 1988. The additional controls will ensure that delegates are appropriately qualified to perform those powers or functions and the delegation will be supported by contractual obligations to ensure appropriate exercise of the delegation when it is outside of the State services. Further to this all delegations will be publicly notified so that the public can see who these powers are being delegated to. Together these requirements will ensure that the functions and powers are carried out in a controlled and a transparent manner.I want to conclude by reiterating this Government's commitment to improving the long-term life outcomes for children and young people who have contact with the State care protection and youth justice systems. We must have a system that puts the needs of children and young people first in everything it does. This bill is the first crucial step in major and far-reaching legislative reform to underpin a truly child-centred system that delivers the life outcomes that these vulnerable young children deserve. I commend the Children Young Persons and Their Families (Advocacy Workforce and Age Settings) Amendment Bill to the House.