Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:641;Page:11563] 
5.  
JUDY TURNER (Deputy Leader—United Future) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: Who has been consulted on the draft Cabinet paper  
The Role of the State in Providing Assistance for Children who are cared for by Family Members who are not their Parents 
? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Acting Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 Policy work is under way on the provision of support for family caregivers and will examine issues around care for extended family members. The policy is currently under development and I am in the process of discussing the details of the named Cabinet paper with my ministerial colleagues. I know that the member has a very strong interest in this particular issue and I certainly would be happy to consult her in due course. 
Judy Turner 
: When does the Minister expect to enter into consultation with the people most affected by this Cabinet paper—grandparents and kin caregivers entering old age who must become parents a second time round without the energy money and support that first-time parents and foster parents have—and how serious is he about supporting kin caregivers if this draft Cabinet paper is only at a ministerial consultation stage right now? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As the member will know there has been a good deal of consultation with stakeholders such as grandparents raising children. As a result of that consultation there have been changes in for example legal aid and respite care and there has been the additional support that goes to low-income families with dependent children through Working for Families. The member will be aware that on 1 April this year people in receipt of the unsupported child’s benefit the orphans benefit and the foster care allowance received an additional $10 a week per child. Unsupported child’s benefit and orphans benefit rates increased by a further $10 a week as a contribution towards costs associated with the care of those children. All of those cases were very much a result of consultation with those very people and we expect to carry on with that consultation. 
Tariana Turia 
: Is there a difference between kin and non-kin care in the rate of childcare payments; if so why? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As the member has been an Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment she will be aware that yes indeed there is a difference. It is one of the issues that all jurisdictions face. It is the difference between for example a child who has been through the Family Court and as a result of that process has been placed with a caregiver who is essentially acting in loco parentis for the State and to whom the State pays a particular rate as opposed to the large number of people with other arrangements because they are looking after some other family member. There undoubtedly are people in this House who are looking after a niece or the son of somebody else in the family. All jurisdictions struggle with getting that money exactly right. So yes there is a different rate between the two. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister accept that increasing the unsupported child’s benefit does not equate to giving the more substantial foster care allowance to kinship caregivers; and that topping up the payments to those caregivers so that they can get for instance counselling for their children would be a lot cheaper than waiting until those children grow up and become the clients of another Government department? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I think the member has a good point. It is one of the reasons I read out the long list of things that have already changed in this particular area of policy. But I will just go back to the point I made before to Mrs Turia which is that this is a highly complex area for all jurisdictions—that is how much money should go to the large number of people who are cared for by kin. In many cases the kin ask for nothing; they just carry on because they can afford to do so looking after those children and taking them into their families. It is a complex issue and this paper is yet another step to try to come to grips with it. As I said we will certainly carry on consulting those people who are most directly concerned. 
Tariana Turia 
: What explanation does the Minister have for the fact that the majority of children placed by Child Youth and Family are placed with strangers as verified by the 2006 figures showing 3893 placements with family and whanau compared with 9803 placements with other foster care despite the fact that all evidence reports that kin care enhances permanency and stability for the young person—a key outcome area for Child Youth and Family? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As the member has been an Associate Minister in this area she will know that we all share and the Act in fact privileges the notion that people should stay with their kin. That is the ideal placement for a child. It is a fact of life that one of the problems that remains is to make sure we do have kin who want to take these children. The member will know that from her time in the portfolio. But that is certainly what the Act asks for and that is what Child Youth and Family seeks to do—to have a child placed as close as possible to kin or with kin. That is the preferred placement for a child and we will carry on trying to do that. 
Judy Turner 
: What advice would the Minister recommend I give to the Christchurch grandparents who contacted me this week asking where they could get a loan that they need to provide basic care for their granddaughter after Government agencies could not or would not help them because they are family not foster caregivers? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As the member will know there are two points of contact. Most Work and Income offices—certainly the bigger offices in places like Christchurch—have a staff member designated to deal with kin looking after kin and I would recommend the member’s constituents go and sit down with that person in particular. Most of the bigger Child Youth and Family offices and certainly the one in Christchurch have a designated person for kin caring for kin. Her constituents should go and talk to that person. I am not saying that will necessarily provide an easy answer but both of those offices have designated staff who are there to deal with those specific issues. Those offices know that at times people face hardship and they try to provide help where they can.