Dyson Ruth: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
Dyson Ruth: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:637;Page:7940] 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF)) 
: 
 I acknowledge the member Judy Turner whose contribution we have just heard. I have listened to her advocacy for a complaints procedure for Child Youth and Family for several months. I did not agree with it to start with. I sought further clarification from her she gave it to me and I am now very happy that policy work is looking at the range of available procedures and where there is a gap and is ensuring that we do not overlap with organisations such as the Children’s Commissioner by making any further extension of complaints procedures within the department. So I acknowledge the work Judy Turner has done in that regard. 
I make passing reference to the Children’s Commissioner and say how stunned I was to hear the member for Rangitikei Simon Power attack the Children’s Commissioner. I do not think it is appropriate to do so. I think she does a fine job and she should not be undermined in this Chamber. 
To refer to the financial review report I was very pleased that this year the Social Services Committee was generally positive in its financial review of the Department of Child Youth and Family Services and gave some very good constructive feedback. It noted some favourable improvements in the performance of the department particularly in areas such as response rates to notifications the benefits of the merger between the Department of Child Youth and Family Services and the Ministry of Social Development and the recruitment of front-line staff. However the report posed some challenges for the department and I think that is a very important part of the accountability back to Parliament. The select committee seems to have undertaken that task extraordinarily well. 
The issues of challenge were to ensure that we look at better statistical information on substantiated abuse notifications the reform of foster care and the implementation of the youth justice capability review. I begin by referring to the number of notifications the department receives. It was a particular point of discussion with the select committee. Of course as this Committee has discussed many times in the past the ideal would be that we had no abuse of children in our country and therefore no notifications. But we are actually seeing increased public awareness decreased public tolerance and increased notifications to the department because of those two factors amongst others. 
Another thing that I particularly acknowledge because I support it is the initiative by the police of referring far more rapidly children who are in situations of family violence who may not be identified immediately but who have clearly been exposed to violence rather than necessarily abused themselves. The growth rate of notifications to Child Youth and Family in the year considered by the financial review is slightly slower than last year so I think that is a good thing in terms of the overall management of the situation. It is important for the Committee to note—and I hope celebrate—the fact that the department has maintained the number of unallocated cases at below 1000 since the middle of last year and it has a much better understanding of the drivers of demand for its services. 
I touch briefly on a point Judy Turner made with regard to the differential response model. I am very pleased that she took the time and effort to visit one of our sites and look at the differential response model and I am even more pleased to hear her speak positively of it. It is a much better way of doing things. The department is working with non-governmental organisations so that we get a community-based response which is a far more appropriate response for families who are in crisis in need or feeling frustrated to the point of not being able to operate functionally on their own. If we are able to help those families earlier without the need for statutory intervention then we will all be better off in terms of outcome. It is my view that inappropriate statutory intervention can not only cause disruption but also actually damage a family’s situation so the more appropriate our response the better. I certainly give a commitment to that member and the Committee that the differential response model will continue to roll out past the sites it is currently being piloted in. 
I touch briefly on the youth justice capability. It was raised as a concern by the select committee. I reassure the Committee that the youth justice capability review project is progressing well and is meeting all its milestones now. We should see a considerable improvement in the organisational delivery of youth justice through those improvements. 
Finally I just acknowledge and thank my colleague from Rotorua Steve Chadwick for the support she has given to Child Youth and Family in terms of the establishment of a new residential centre in the Bay of Plenty area. It is now confirmed that Parekarangi is the preferred site. That is a very good thing. The owners of the land there have also been very supportive not just in extending to a youth justice facility but also in reaching out further into the community. Those young people will have a chance to be returned to the community with the support of the landowners at Parekarangi. That is an excellent move for all of us. Thank you Mr Chairperson. 
Report noted.