Our three year strategy

> Our vision> Children and young people in families and communities

where they can be safe, strong and thrive.

> Our mission > Embed quality, child centred practice throughout our

service

> Our goal > Engage children, their families / whanau, iwi and multi

agencies in protecting and caring for New Zealand’s most vulnerable children and young people.

Children are the taonga of New Zealand

> 2004 = 40,000 notifications

> 2012 = 150,000 notifications….. and growing

> Domestic Violence

> Emotional Abuse (12K) and Neglect (5K)

> Care numbers stable (5K)

> Half with family / whanau

> National debate – White Paper

> Joined up services

> Growing relationships with iwi.

> Focus on working with the NGO sector

1. Quality social work practice

> Deliver excellent Family Group Conferences

> Establish a new Outcomes Framework

> Enhanced Practice and Knowledge system

> Reduce number young people in the youth justice system working with them, whanau and agencies

> Multi Agency Strategy for children in care

2. Working together with Māori

> Strengthen culturally responsive and sensitive practice and services for Māori

> Build strong and positive partnerships with hapū and iwi

> Incorporate the values, culture and beliefs of Māori and promote te reo in our everyday work

> Build capacity and innovation within iwi partnerships

3. Voices of children and young people

> Ensure children’s wishes and feelings shine through all our work

> Involve children and young people in service enhancements at a national and local level

> Ensure children’s voices shape the knowledge and skills of our workforce

> Uphold and protect children’s rights by establishing a systematic, real time complaints and feedback system.

4. Connecting communities

> Build a network of organisations with shared strategic interests e.g Care, Domestic Violence

> Identify areas of priority need and any gaps and work with the provider sector to address these

> Review and revitalise the way we involve communities, so we can respond safely and consistently to reports of concern

> Work with our partners to establish cross agency training and local training ‘hubs’.

5. Leadership

Our people:> Focus on supervisors and practice leaders, to coach,

lead, challenge and support quality practice:> Clearer roles and accountabilities

> Professional development

> 100 percent registered professional workforce

> Work with Universities and develop a social work graduate programme, learning and research intiatives.

5. Leadership

Our caregivers:> Improve the quality of caregiver recruitment,

assessment, training and support

> Develop Specialist fostering

> Develop Iwi and kinship placement

> Raise profile of caregivers and celebrate their achievements through local and national recognition.

Achieving year one

Achieving year one

A set of achievements that:

> are clear and measurable

> take us one third of the way towards our three year goal

> balance of national and locally lead activity

> Use Self Assessment framework and action plan

1. Quality social work practice

> New Family Group Conference practice standards and an enriched training curriculum

> Embedded the self assessment framework:

> completed annual self assessments

> Benchmark quality and local action plans> Worked with young people who’ve offended, their

siblings, and the family

> Implemented a new care and protection assessment plus:

> 100 percent uptake of gateway assessment > audits and review on quality

2. Working together with Māori

> Practice that reflects tikanga Māori with a focus on:

> well facilitated, supported whānau hui

> a new cultural assessment framework for young people in residences

> Every site and residence with an active relationship with local hapū or iwi

> An effective learning framework for all staff, lifting confidence and engagement with Māori

> Partnership agreements with iwi – particularly Assessment, FGC and Care

3. Voices of children and young people

> Children more visible in assessment and greater participation in Family Group Conferences

> Improved service for children and young people by consulting with them in collective forums:

> two per site and residence

> five regional forums > A learning and development programme on children’s

participation

> Reviewed and redesigned our complaints and feedback system, so it is child friendly and responsive.

4. Connecting communities

> Host site planning meetings with our community partners on shared topic of concern or interest

> Regional plans that clearly describe the services we want to purchase, and the results we want to achieve

> Develop a clear and consistent pathway of response for families experiencing family violence or needing help from the community

> Engage local partners in training and briefings

5. Leadership

Our people:> Implement a clear set of accountabilities for site

managers, practice leaders and supervisors, and an induction programme that supports it

> New standards and training for quality supervision

> A graduate programme linking with Universities and offer experience across a range of our services – from front line, to youth justice, residences, and national office projects.

5. Leadership

Our caregivers:> Launch a new caregiver strategy and standards

> Develop a range of specialist foster care provison

> Introduce annual awards for our outstanding caregivers.

Self assessment and action plan

Getting to know our self assessment

> Self Assessment at local level based on 5 key strategic priorities

> Self Assessments must be self critical, accurate and evidence based, including:

> Feedback from our key stakeholders – children and young people, community partners and our staff

> Complete an audit of our own casework using a random sample

> Review of Performance and Outcomes for Children

> Identify strengths and areas for improvement - develop a local action plan setting out our key areas of focus

Roles and responsibilities

> Everyone contributes to our self assessment and development of our action plan

> Practice leaders will provide a practice quality focus, and complete the case audit

> Site managers are responsible for leading out the self assessment and action plan

> Operations managers will oversee ensuringe consistency and evidence in self assessment

> Regional Directors will approve all action plans