Government starting work to develop Child Wellbeing Strategy

Earlier this year Treasury published a series of discussion papers to promote conversations about wellbeing measures for New Zealand.

Update: The Child Wellbeing Unit has released two cabinet papers related to the development of the child wellbeing strategy:

• Cabinet paper: Child Wellbeing Strategy – Scope and Public Engagement Process (May 2018)
• Cabinet paper: Process for Developing the First Child Wellbeing Strategy (January 2018)

Update: The International Conference on Well-Being & Public Policy was held in Wellington. Oranga Tamariki has shared a presentation from the conference on The Lifetime Wellbeing model for New Zealand Children.

Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni has announced an expert advisory group to help with the overhaul of the welfare system. 

The Government is currently seeking feedback on the proposed approach to "investing for social wellbeing," and a policy for the protection and use of personal information.

The Ministry of Social Development has begun a process to look at independent oversight of the child care and protection system which includes a public consultation.

Children’s Minister Tracey Martin recently announced that Oranga Tamariki is holding hui around the country for Oranga Tamariki providers on "commissioning stronger services for children."

Update: Stats NZ is inviting public feedback on the development of well-being indicators called Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand.

Update: Ara Taiohi and ActionStation have published a report on youth wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand: Ngā Kōrero Hauora O Ngā Taiohi: A community-powered report on conversations with 1,000 young people (2018).

Two NZFVC issues papers provide research and information about children's exposure to intimate partner violence and appropriate responses:

• Issues Paper 3, April 2013 - Understanding connections and relationships: Child maltreatment, intimate partner violence and parenting
• Issues Paper 4, April 2013 - Policy and practice implications: Child maltreatment, intimate partner violence and parenting

The issue has also previously been discussed in parliament. Now Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Justice (Domestic and Sexual Violence) Jan Logie previously blogged about the need to address IPV as part of the child protection review and in family law, by integrating "an evidenced based approach to domestic violence into the heart of our child protection services."

Additional research and resources are highlighted below:

The CDC (US) published a technical package to support agencies and communities to understand and address adverse childhood experiences, including exposure and experience of violence, abuse and neglect. The CDC also launched an online training tool, Connecting the Dots, that looks at the links between multiple forms of violence and opportunities for prevention.

Honor Our Voices: Children’s perspectives of domestic violence, MINCAVA
(An online learning module providing you with the opportunity to see domestic violence through the eyes and voices of children.)

Howarth, E., Moore, T.H.M., Welton, N.J., Lewis, N., Stanley, N., MacMillan, H., Shaw, A., Hester, M., Bryden, P. and Feder, G. (2016). IMPRoving Outcomes for children exposed to domestic ViolencE (IMPROVE): An evidence synthesis, Public Health Research, Issue 10.

Hooker, L., Kaspiew, R., and Taft, A. (2016). Domestic and family violence and parenting: Mixed methods insights into impact and support needs: State of knowledge paper, ANROWS Landscapes, Issue 1.

Humphreys, C. (2012). Keeping children safe: Challenges in post-separation parenting, DVRCV Quarterly, No. 2, Winter 2012: 5-8. (Focused on revenge child killings)

Bancroft, L., Silverman, J. G., and Ritchie, D. (2012). The batterer as parent: Addressing the impact of domestic violence on family dynamics (2nd ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Book available for loan from the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse library.

Mittal, P. and Carrington, H. (2012). They didn’t see it. They were sleeping: The voices of children who live with family violence as heard by KIDshine, Shine.

Humphreys, C. and Absler, D. (2011). History repeating: child protection responses to domestic violence. Child & Family Social Work, 16: 464–473.

Hester, M. (2011). The three planet model: Towards an understanding of contradictions in approaches to women and children's safety in contexts of domestic violence, British Journal of Social Work, 2011, 41: 837-853.

Edleson, J. L., and Nissley, B. A. (2011). Emerging responses to children exposed to domestic violence. Harrisburg, PA: VAWnet - The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women, and National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.

Humphreys, C. (2010). Strengthening the mother-child relationship in the aftermath of domestic violence. Strengthening service support and safety: Mothers, children and change, Video UNSW TV: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
(30 min video recording of a conference presentation)

Further reading on parenting, intimate partner violence and child abuse and neglect can be found in the NZFVC library under the subjects of child exposure to violence and parenting.

Selected media