Doocey Matt: Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDoocey Matt: Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 06 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3298. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri):It gives me a great honour to rise and speak to this third reading of the Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill. To start with a quote from Victor Hugo “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” I think the time for Tracey Martin’s idea has come. I think it is time for her bill to be passed into legislation. I acknowledge Tracey Martin. I am yet to have a member’s bill pulled out of the ballot myself so I congratulate her on following this bill right through the legislative process.I also want to take some time to acknowledge Tracey Martin for sharing some of her personal stories with us at previous readings to give this bill a context and a background. It is very much something to remind ourselves that in a country like New Zealand it is our personal stories and our experiences that bind us together and move this proud nation forward.While we are talking about the care of children I just want to acknowledge that yesterday was the International Day of the Midwife. New Zealand has a world-leading midwifery system and I think we need to take time to acknowledge yesterday’s International Day of the Midwife. I know that from personal experience. Obviously I did not use the service for myself but my wife did last year. It is a fantastic service especially for new parents who obviously do not have an instruction book and are learning as they go. To engage with your midwife at the start of the pregnancy and to have her support the whole way through from birth to aftercare is an amazing support. I worked for a number of years for the British National Health Service and I know for a fact that it does not have the level of care in midwifery and the same system of the continuity of care of one midwife through. So I just acknowledge midwives in New Zealand.This bill is about supporting children’s development. We know that children’s development is important. If a child does not develop rightly or correctly or go through the right transition of developmental stages this can cause problems and poor outcomes during their teenage years and later on in their lives. We know that for children especially from the ages of 0 to 3 years their brains are being hard-wired at this stage and there is a great amount of neurological development. In fact I went to a breakfast in the Grand Hall here a few weeks ago hosted by the Brainwave Trust which promotes understanding research and evidence around neurological development with young people. It is a very important stage of their lives and it is an amazing commitment that kin carers make to step in and support young children at this stage to ensure that they get the best start in life and to ensure that they reach their full potential.Of course not all kin carers will be supporting young children. Some will be stepping in at the age of a young adult. We know from our own experiences—I am sure that everyone in this House will know—that it is an important developmental stage being a young adult and moving into adulthood and there are a lot of issues going on around the time of pubescence to do with identity and making that transition towards supporting yourself. We do know that young people need good role models and they need good support systems round them. That is why this bill is right about supporting kin carers who step in to keep young people on the right track to making them productive citizens in New Zealand.I used to work in the Tavistock Clinic in London. It is where the attachment theory was developed by Bowlby. We know that young people who have a strong attachment to people in their lives whether it be their biological parents or kin carers will go on to lead very productive lives. So it is about supporting this. It actually reminds me very much of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. We know that young people have physiological needs around food water shelter and air and you can describe clothing as a physiological need for a young person. We know that young people need safety from violence and abuse. But it is also about love and belonging. I think that this is what this bill represents about supporting carers who take the decision to step in and provide love and belonging to young people who are not biologically their children.I think it is right that the Government takes steps to support these carers in any way it can. I do not think it is right that foster carers currently get this allowance but unsupported carers do not. It is great that this bill will give them parity. We know with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that those young people who progress up that triangle go on to have self-esteem confidence and to make the right decisions in life. Of course the top is around the self-actualising of reaching their full potential. We know that we hope and aim for every young person in this country to go on and reach their full potential to be productive and to drive New Zealand forward.This member’s bill will give orphans and unsupported children a clothing allowance parity with foster children. Currently orphans and unsupported children including some who are looked after by their grandparents miss out on a clothing allowance that is available to foster children. The bill seeks more parity between the financial entitlements for orphans and unsupported children and the financial entitlements for foster carers.The purpose of this bill is to increase financial support for kin carers who are looking after children such as grandparents raising grandchildren. The Social Services Committee has suggested inserting a new section into the Social Security Act 1964 to add a clothing allowance for caregivers who receive an orphans benefit. This addition will ensure children are treated equally regardless of their circumstances and who their caregiver is.We know that there are up to 12000 New Zealand children being cared for by wider family members. That is 12000—that is a considerable group of young people in New Zealand. This might be because of the death of a parent or a breakdown in a family arrangement. I know for myself dealing with constituents in my area that I am supporting examples of this relationship. One couple who were actually friends of the biological parents decided to step in and look after two young kids. There was another example where grandparents decided to step in and look after a very young child.I know from my own experience—I am learning very quickly as a new parent—the commitment the patience and the resources that you need to be an effective parent. I can only imagine what it is like to step in to this arrangement with kin carers and to continue to provide those things. I think that needs to be applauded and that it is right that we are ensuring parity for the clothing allowance between foster carers and carers of orphans and unsupported children.This is part of a bigger picture—the White Paper for Vulnerable Children—committing an extra $10 million to provide further support for kin carers. The $10 million which is a capped fund has the agreement of the Minister for Social Development that they will work with Tracey Martin to look at providing further financial assistance to kin carers in a better more targeted way. There is a ministerial reference group that has been formed which includes representatives from the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust which is currently working through options on how this extra funding will be applied. This member’s bill will give orphans and unsupported children clothing allowance parity and I commend it to the House. Thank you.