Oranga Tamariki, also known as the Ministry for Children and previously the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, is a government department in New Zealand responsible for the well-being of children, specifically children at risk of harm, youth offenders and children of the State. It is the successor agency of the former department, Child, Youth and Family (CYF).
Functions and structure
The minister responsible for Oranga Tamariki is the Minister for Children, a position currently held by Kelvin Davis. On 31 October 2017, it was announced that the ministry would be renamed to Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children. Oranga Tamariki is guided by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The organisation is headed by a chief executive and consists of three major clusters: "Service Delivery", "Voices and Quality", and "Enabling Functions." Services Delivery consists of a "Partnering for Outcomes" group, two "Services for Children and Families" groups (one in the North Island and one in the South Island), a "Youth Justice Services" group, and a "Care Services" group. The "Voices and Quality" cluster consists of a Tamariki Advocate/Voices of Children group and a Chief Social Worker/Professional Practice group. The "Enabling Functions" cluster consists of the "Policy, Investment and Evidence" group and a "Leadership and Organisational Development group." Each of these groups is headed by a deputy chief executive.
Under the provisions of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 and Oranga Tamariki (Residential Care) Regulations 1996, the Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) has some oversight over Oranga Tamariki. These responsibilities including encouraging Oranga Tamariki to develop of policies and services designed to promote the welfare of children and young people, and receiving reports from Oranga Tamariki inspectors visiting the homes of children in residential care each year.
Youth justice facilities
Oranga Tamariki also operates five youth justice residences: Korowai Manaaki and Whakatakapokai in South Auckland, Te Maioha o Parekarangi in Rotorua, Te Au rere a te Tonga in Palmerston North, and Te Puna Wai ō Tuhinapo in Rolleston. These facilities serve as both homes and remand centres for youth offenders who have been referred there by the Youth Court system. Residents consist of teenagers aged 16 years and under as well as 17 and 18-year old youths. These include youth offenders facing serious criminal charges including murder, rape, aggravated robbery, and gang connections. Residents at youth justice residences receive education, life skills training, and treatment programmes for anger, drugs, and alcohol.
In addition, Oranga Tamariki runs three Youth Justice Community Homes or remand homes: Hillcrest Home in Hamilton, Te Kohanga in Rotorua, and Will Street Whare in Dunedin. These exist alongside several community homes run by various social security providers. The agency also runs a youth care facility called the Puketai Care and Protection Residence in Dunedin.
History
Oranga Tamariki is the successor organisation to the former Child, Youth and Family (CYF) department, which was dissolved down by the Fifth National Government in March 2017. Oranga Tamariki, initially known as the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, formally came into existence in November 2017. Following the formation of a Labour-led coalition government in October 2017, the Ministry for Vulnerable Children was renamed the Ministry for Children.
From May 2018 to June 2019, there were 39 reported physical assaults against the organisation's social workers.
In November 2019, Oranga Tamariki (with the Ministry of Education) investigated sex acts at a Catholic primary school in Wellington.
2019 "Uplifting" controversy
On 11 June 2019, the news website Newsroom published a series of stories including a documentary called The Uplift criticising Oranga Tamariki's practice of "uplifting" or separating children from their parents. Newsroom argued that Oranga Tamariki's "uplifting" policies disproportionately targeted Māori and Pasifika children, claiming that three Māori babies were being "uplifted" from their mothers a week. According to Newsroom's report, 70% of children "uplifted" in 2018 came from Māori and Pasifika backgrounds.