Department of Child, Youth and Family Services

2005-2006 Strategic Direction for Child, Youth and Family

Introduction

As the Department of Child, Youth and Family move into the next phase of Structuring for Success and the recommendations of the 2003 Baseline Review, the focus will be on the vision for the future and the key roles and values that guide an integrated approach to colleagues, clients and stakeholders to ensure that the collective endeavour will make a real difference to children, young people and their families and whānau.

Vision

The Department of Child, Youth and Family’s vision is “Safe children and young people in strong families and responsive communities: free from abuse, free from neglect and free from offending.”

To achieve this vision, the Department aims to:

• Deliver the right services to the right clients in the right way;
• Listen to vulnerable children and young people; and
• Work together with others to deliver for clients.

Achieving the vision means a New Zealand where:

• Children and young people grow up in stable families and caring communities, safe from abuse and neglect;
• Young people do not come into conflict with the law;
• All New Zealanders act to keep children and young people safe from abuse, neglect and offending.

Role

The Department of Child, Youth and Family want a country where all New Zealand children and young people live in safe, stable and loving families and caring communities and grow up to fulfil their potential. It is a reality, however, that some children will not be able to thrive and flourish unless they have assistance.

Child, Youth and Family’s key roles are:

• To protect and improve the well-being of children who need care and protection and to support and assist their families to keep their children safe;
• To deal with children and young people who offend, so that they are held to account, do not re-offend, and their well-being is improved;
• To facilitate and collaborate in the delivery of high-quality services by other service providers to children and young people at risk of being in need of care or protection or committing offences.

Values

In all its work, CYF seeks to represent and model the values of Respect, Integrity and Fairness. In undertaking the work of the Department, it is essential that all staff, children youth and families and whānau are treated in accordance with these values, including those with disabilities.

Department of Child, Youth and Family NZ Disability Strategy Implementation Work Plan

On April 5th 2005, the Executive Committee of the Department of CYF participated in a Disability Workshop around ‘Improving Services to Disabled Children and their Families and Whānau’. Key themes and agreed outcomes emerging from that discussion have formed the base for the 2005-2006 CYF Disability Implementation Plan.

Underpinning the activities proposed in the work plan are two main themes around which the implementation plan has been structured. These are:

• Improving services to disabled children, young people and their families
• Creating a ‘Disability-Friendly’ workplace by promoting “participation, empowerment, transparency, accountability and non-discrimination”¹

These themes have emerged from consideration of the New Zealand Disability Strategy, the Human Rights Action Plan and the Report of the National Health Committee on Community Membership for Adults with an Intellectual Disability (To Have an Ordinary Life)² and the strategic initiatives contained within the 2005-2008 CYF Statement of Strategic Intent.

One overarching, organisation-wide activity that aims to foster an integrated approach to the disability strategy is the implementation of the Framework Tool developed by the Office for Disability Issues. It is expected that in all areas – policy and service development, and implementation, the tool be used as a means of ensuring a disability perspective throughout the activities of the organisation.

In addition, the project ‘Developing standards that include a focus on disabilities’ will provide a practice baseline for social workers in practice with an expectation that a disability perspective is integral to their practice.

Building on the 2004-2005 Implementation Plan

Government decisions have been incorporated into the department’s planning for managing for outcomes, and included in the Statement of Intent are strategies to: Improve services to clients, improve the way the department work’s with others and build capability. To achieve the above, CYF staff need be aware of, and understand, the “pervasive barriers that prevent disabled people from fully participating in society”.³ Such understanding will lead to the increased, direct and systematic participation of disabled people in policy development and decision-making and ultimately improve both the way staff work with disabled people and services to children and their families and whānau.

1. Improving Services to Disabled Children, Young People and their Families

1.1 Knowing Our Disabled Client Population

Desired Outcome

• Improved profile of CYF disabled clients;
• More informed decision-making about service needs of this client group;
• Improve responsiveness, ensuring the right clients receive the right services in the right way.

Description

Increase capture and reliability of disability data by:

• A consistent assessment framework that includes disability issues;
• Having accurate, retrievable and accessible data.

Measures and Timeframes

• Introduce consistent assessment framework in conjunction with the Differential Response Model timeframes;
• Evaluate accuracy and retrievability of data system through current work in progress.

Links to Disability Strategy Objective and Actions

• Objective 6: Foster an aware and responsive public service (Action 6.4);
• Objective 10: Collect and use relevant information about disabled people and disability issues (Actions 10.2, 10.3).

Links with the Human Rights Action Plan

• 2.5 - Rights of children in institutional care or detention (developing an integrated dataset to record the numbers, characteristics and experiences of children in institutional care);
• 2.9 – The rights of the family (undertake research on the experiences of families with dependent children, and families caring for older people or disabled people).

Links with ‘To have an ‘Ordinary’ Life

Item 18 (p. 47). The collection and coordination of demographic information about people with an intellectual disability be improved by all Government departments

Responsibility

Lead Role - Service Development (Operations; Organisational Services)

1.2 Working Collaboratively Across Sectors

1.2.1 Improving Service Delivery Between Child, Youth and Family and the Disability Services Directorate (Ministry of Health)

Desired Outcome

• Disabled children and young people and their families/ whänau are well supported by services provided across Child, Youth and Family (CYF), Health and Education sectors.

Description

This is a joint project between the Ministry of Health’s Disability Services Directorate (DSD) and (CYF) Services and will include some input from the Ministry of Education⁴.

Work will include:

• A review and analysis of the policy and legislative frameworks to determine how they currently impact on service delivery to disabled children and their families;
• A review of the existing Memorandum of Understanding between CYF and DSD;
• Recommendations for a revised Memorandum which clearly outline each agency’s responsibilities and which promote collaboration to better meet the needs of disabled children and their families;
• Staff guidelines for implementation of the revised Memorandum;
• A monitoring and evaluation framework to measure the effectiveness of the revised Memorandum.

Measures and Timeframes

Measures and timeframes will be monitored by the intersectoral steering group.

• Completion of legislative/ policy component of this joint project by end 2005;
• Completion of work on a revised Memorandum of Understanding between DSD and CYF by end 2005;
• Development of a framework for the on-going monitoring and evaluation of the revised Memorandum by end 2005;
• Development of an implementation plan, including staff guidelines to apply the MoU, by end 2005.

Recommendations for legislative and/or policy changes will be informed by the review outcomes.

Links to Strategy Objective and Action

• Objective 2: Provide the best education for disabled people (Action 2.1).
• Objective 6: Foster an aware and responsive public service (Action 6.4).
• Objective 7: Create long-term support systems centred on the individual (Actions 7.6, 7.9).
• Objective 8: Support quality living in the community for disabled people, and in particular (Action 8.4).
• Objective 10: Collect and use relevant information about disabled people and disability issues (Actions 10.2, 10.3).

Responsibility

Strategy and Planning Group

1.2.2 Supporting Parents with Intellectual Disabilities

Desired Outcomes

• Parents with intellectual disabilities receive appropriate training and support to retain or resume the care of their children wherever possible;
• For parents with intellectual disabilities where care of children cannot be resumed, support is received to maintain a meaningful involvement in the lives of their children.

Description

A Care and Protection Blueprint Investment Strategy Project to develop a cross-sector service design to respond to the support needs of this group of parents, including:

• A contextual statement;
• Review of current legislation, principle and policies;
• Guidelines for best practice.

Measures and Timeframes

• Service design developed, specifying the volume of support services, the funding required and the appropriate sector to deliver the proposed family support services for this group, by June 2006.

Links to Strategy Objective and Action

• Objective 2: Ensure rights for disabled people (actions 2.1, 2.2, 2.3);
• Objective 15: Value families, whānau and people providing ongoing support (actions 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.6).

Links with the Human Rights Action Plan

• 2.5 – support families of disabled children so that they are able to care for their children themselves (as opposed to institutional care);
• 2.9 – The rights of the family.

Links with ‘To have an ‘Ordinary’ Life

• Item 22 (p. 51) To ensure that families and whānau are adequately supported.

Responsibility

Strategy and Planning.

1.3 Providing Quality Services

1.3.1 Developing standards that include a focus on disabilities

Desired Outcome

Improved standard of care and services for disabled children and young people, when they are in out-of-home placements and/or receiving services from approved organisations.

Description

Improve the quality of services and care for disabled children and young people by:

• Reviewing current Approval Standards for those organisations applying to be a Child and Family Support Service under s396 and s403 of the CYPF Act. This will include a focus on the provisions for disabled children and young people.

Measures and Timeframes

• Review completed by June 2006.

Links to Disability Strategy and Actions

• Objective 2: Ensure rights for disabled people (actions 2.1, 2.3);
• Objective 5: Foster leadership by disabled people (actions 5.1);
• Objective 6: Foster an aware and responsive public service (actions 6.1, 6.2);
• Objective 7: Create long-term support systems centred on the individual (actions 7.1, 7.2);
• Objective 13: Enable disabled children and youth to lead full and active lives (actions 13.1).

Links with ‘To have an ‘Ordinary’ Life

• Item 1 (p.22) – people with an intellectual disability are supported to exercise the same rights, opportunities and responsibilities as the rest of the New Zealand population.

Responsibility

Quality Assurance.

1.3.2 Advocacy for CYF disabled clients

Outcome

• Appropriate independent advocacy will be available to disabled children and young people to ensure their interests are represented, particularly when complex decisions are to be made.

Description

The Independent Advocacy Service under the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner will be accessed through a formalised process at National Level to provide advocacy for children and young people with disabilities at Child, Youth and Family.

Measures and Timeframes

• Advisors identified by September 2005.

Links to Disability Strategy Objectives and Actions

• Objective 2: Ensure rights for disabled people (actions 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.6);
• Objective 6: Foster an aware and responsive public service (actions 6.2, 6.3)

Links with the Human Rights Action Plan

• 2.3: Participation in decision-making (ensure that the child’s or young person’s voice is given due weight in court and tribunal proceedings that affect them).

Links with ‘To have an ‘Ordinary’ Life

• Item 4 (p. 32) – adults with an intellectual disability have a personal voice around the control of their own lives and a representative voice to promote the best interest of the group.

Responsibility

Service Development.

2. Creating a ‘Disability-friendly’ Workplace

2.1 Promoting Disability Responsiveness across the Organisation

Outputs and Outcomes

• Senior Managers, front-line social workers and National Office staff have the knowledge and skills to respond appropriately and positively to disability issues and disabled clients

Description

Promote awareness of, and responsiveness to, disability issues and an understanding of disability perspectives and potential barriers to the participation of disabled people.

• Work with Case Consulting⁵ in the development of a generic ‘Disability Responsiveness Training Module’ to determine and meet the needs of the Department of Child, Youth and Family.
• To determine how this training may be utilised within CYF to ensure staff respond appropriately and positively to disability issues and disabled clients.

Measures and Timeframes

• Disability Responsiveness Training Module developed by October 2005
• Utilisation of training to be determined by April 2006

Links to Strategy Objectives and Actions

• Objective 1: Encourage and educate the community and society to understand, respect and support disabled people (actions 1.1-1.5);
• Objective 4: Provide opportunities in employment and economic development for disabled people (actions 4.9 - 4.12);
• Objective 5: Foster leadership by disabled people (actions 5.1, 5.3, 5.6);
• Objective 6: Foster an aware and responsive public service (actions 6.1-6.7).

Links with the Human Rights Action Plan

• In relation to the Human Rights Action Plan⁶, the most pressing issue related to this project is developing an understanding of the “pervasive barriers that prevent disabled people from fully participating in society” (p. 4)

Links with ‘To have an ‘Ordinary’ Life

• Item 1 (p.22) – people with an intellectual disability are supported to exercise the same rights, opportunities and responsibilities as the rest of the New Zealand population

Responsibility

Lead Role - People and Capability (Service Development, Operations, Chief Social Worker).

2.2 Developing Disability Perspectives in Policy Development and Service Delivery

Desired Outcome

• Strategy and Planning and Service Development will incorporate a disability perspective guided by the Office of Disability Issues document “Disability Perspective Framework Tool”;
• Appropriate consultation with disability networks will occur in Strategy and Planning and Service Development relating to disability issues.

Description

• Managers and staff will ensure that policy and service development initiatives incorporate disability perspectives that are inclusive and cognisant of the potential impact on disabled people and their families.

Measures and Timeframes

• The tool will be implemented by December 2005.

Links to Strategy Objectives and Actions

• Objective 1: Encourage and educate the community and society to understand, respect and support disabled people (1.1-1.5);
• Objective 4: Provide opportunities in employment and economic development for disabled people (Actions 4.9 - 4.12);
• Objective 5: Foster leadership by disabled people (5.1, 5.3, 5.6);
• Objective 6: Foster an aware and responsive public service (Actions 6.1-6.7).

Links with the Human Rights Action Plan

In relation to the Human Rights Action Plan⁷, this project aims to increase the participation of disabled people in policy development and decision-making (p.5).

Responsibility

Strategy and Planning and Service Development will be responsible for ensuring a disability perspective in the development of policy and programmes.

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1. The New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights: Priorities for Action 2005-2010, p.6.
2. National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability (September 2003) To have an ‘Ordinary’ Life: Kia Whai Oranga ‘Noa’
3. The New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights: Priorities for Action 2005-2010, p.6.
4. This objective was a new initiative included in the Care and Protection Blueprint Investment Strategy: Phase One work programme for 2004/05 that was delayed.
5. ‘Case Consulting’ (affiliated with ‘Like Minds, Like Mine’) has established a partnership project with the Office for Disability Issues to progress the development of disability responsiveness training for government agencies. CYF is one of the agencies involved.
6. The New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights: Priorities for Action 2005-2010.
7. The New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights: Priorities for Action 2005-2010.