Ardern Jacinda: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeArdern Jacinda: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 25 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4785. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) to the Minister for Social Development: What action does she expect to be taken by Child Youth and Family when there are 20 notifications involving just one family with as many as 10 referrals being due to family violence in the home?Hon JO GOODHEW (Associate Minister for Social Development) on behalf of theMinister for Social Development: Although I cannot speak about the specifics of this case that the member is referring to while it is before the courts in this type of situation I would expect all social sector agencies including Child Youth and Family to be working very closely together to ensure that there is a coordinated plan of action in place to resolve the issues in that family that is focused on keeping the children safe.Jacinda Ardern: Can she confirm that the current case in the media is not an isolated incident when more than 25 percent of notifications received by Child Youth and Family in April this year were for families who had already been investigated at least once in the past 12 months?Hon JO GOODHEW: Yes I can confirm that this case is not an isolated incident because I know that 147000 notifications were received by Child Youth and Family in the last year. Of those some 58000 were family violence referrals. I can also tell the member that when each one of these notifications was assessed by a social worker to determine the action that should be taken some 54000 required further action by Child Youth and Family. Of those 19600 were substantiated cases of abuse or neglect. I can tell the member those figures because this Government is taking action on many fronts to address what is a very large problem for our nation.Jacinda Ardern: What action does Child Youth and Family take when it receives one of the 58000 family violence referrals that come from the police each year telling the agency that a child is in a home where domestic violence has occurred?Hon JO GOODHEW: As I have just said each notification that is received by Child Youth and Family is carefully assessed by a social worker to ascertain what response if any is needed and how urgent that response should be. The notifications are widely varied. In some examples a neighbour may raise a concern about hearing raised voices next door. That of course is quite different from the family violence referrals that are received from police but each nevertheless is treated in the same way: assessed by a social worker to determine what action is taken.Jacinda Ardern: What percentage of referrals that the police—not neighbours but the police—send to Child Youth and Family are followed up on; and was the Waitakere Anti-violence Essential Services manager Tiaria Fletcher correct when she quoted research that found that only 15 percent of children with a family violence referral had received any kind of support or intervention from Child Youth and Family?Hon JO GOODHEW: The member appears not to be listening. I have already told the House that every single one of the 147000 notifications are assessed by a social worker to determine a professional determination of what action is required to be taken. I do not have a percentage for the 58000 family violence referrals that have further action taken.Jacinda Ardern: Which if any of the terms of reference for the review of Child Youth and Family allows her expert panel to make a recommendation that the Government increase Child Youth and Family’s resources so it can do more for the children who are being referred by police to it than just simply have their files assessed by a social worker?Hon JO GOODHEW: As the member is aware Child Youth and Family is currently under review. That is because we need to do more to protect our vulnerable children. Evidence that we are doing more should be Budget 2015 where an extra $58.6 million over the next 4 years was allocated to help vulnerable children. So we are not waiting for the end of the Child Youth and Family review; we are already injecting additional resources into the service—$8 million to meet demand due to the duration and complexity of interventions required for children and young people in State care. In addition Child Youth and Family was given an additional $3.3 million to allow it to meet the legislation changes—Jacinda Ardern: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked the Minister whether she could tell me which if any of the terms of reference—the specific terms of reference—allowed her Government-appointed panel reviewing Child Youth and Family to recommend that—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I listened very carefully to the question. I listened to the answer. The answer that was given which I think addresses the question was that more resources have been given. The Government is not waiting for the results of the review panel. If the member wishes to ask further questions she is welcome.