Heatley Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHeatley Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 21 May 2014. Volume:699;Page:18167. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.Hon PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) to theMinister for Social Development: What measures does Budget 2014 contain to support vulnerable children?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development): Budget 2014 is all about families and this caring National Government is delivering for them. A key part of our families package is a $33 million investment in our most vulnerable children on top of of course those free doctors visits for under-13-year-olds an extension to paid parental leave and an extension to the parental tax credit. I also like that we are extending paid parental leave to caregivers such as those who are doing Home for Life and working so hard. There are around 22000 cases of abuse and neglect of children in New Zealand every year and 50 children have died in the past 5 years because of extreme abuse. That is why $16.4 million of extra money is being invested in the Children’s Action Plan which resulted from consultation with New Zealanders. This money will be funded towards the Vulnerable Kids Information System which is about sharing information about those most vulnerable children and also a new hub that is there which is about making sure that we have got the phone calls going to the right place and are tracking where those children are being looked after.Hon Phil Heatley: What investment does the Budget make in the children’s teams?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Included in the $16.4 million for the Children’s Action Plan is money for eight new children’s teams. The two pilots have been running in Rotorua and Whangarei and they are steadily growing and working with more children. A children’s team will work with children who are just under the threshold of ChildYouth and Family. The teams assign a lead professional whose job it is to ensure that the kids have one plan. At the moment we see those children having an education plan a social work plan and a health plan. We are going to pull them all together into one then a lead professional will make sure that they are actually reaching those milestones and being safer and better protected.Jacinda Ardern: Has the 2014 Budget allocation for care and protection services kept pace with inflation since she took office?Hon PAULA BENNETT: From memory the Child Youth and Family budget has had a 15 percent increase over the last 5½ years.Hon Phil Heatley: What support does the vulnerable children’s package provide to Child Youth and Family exactly?Hon PAULA BENNETT: The children’s teams as I said are working with those children who are just at that lower-risk end of the spectrum so that Child Youth and Family can then keep its focus on its business of intensive case management for the protection of those children who are being abused and neglected. This Budget supports Child Youth and Family by providing an investment of $13.7 million including money to trial some new approaches to understanding how best to work with children. But there is also funding in that for more one-on-one therapeutic placements for children in care and more support for Child Youth and Family caregivers including coaching and specialist training. The reality is that these children are incredibly complex and have very high needs in many cases. This extra funding will go to them.