The first discussion is at 7pm on Thursday 10 May – chaired by Kim Hill and speakers include Dr Allan Freeth (CE of Telstra Clear), Dr Jo Cribb (Deputy Children’s Commissioner), Lisa Tumahai (Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu), and Lesley Longstone (Secretary of Education).

Email Deborah Morris-Travers for more info: children1st@xtra.co.nz

Invitation (147kb)

http://www.everychildcounts.org.nz/_w/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ECC-MASC-submission.pdf

It’s also a day to think about the place children occupy in our communities and wider society. Are our children thriving? Do they have a sense of belonging? Are they achieving? Some are; many are not. As we all know, New Zealand’s performance on a range of child wellbeing measures is dismal, and this is a concern for several reasons.

First, children are among our most vulnerable citizens. They don’t choose to live in poverty or violence and they are the people least able to change their circumstances. It is our responsibility to ensure they have their needs met. Second, anyone who likes to think of New Zealand as a secure, productive, and internationally competitive nation must understand that this depends on supporting families to nurture healthy, educated citizens. Third, we are wasting vast amounts of money, with poor outcomes for children costing at least $6 billion per annum. At this time of fiscal constraint, we need to understand that effective investment in children will deliver significant savings. And apart from all of that, we’ve had a guts- full of seeing tiny children hurt and killed by adults who should be nurturing them.

Right now, the government is processing more than 8000 submissions on the Green Paper on Vulnerable Children. New Zealanders have presented many ideas about how to ensure every child thrives, belongs and achieves. Among them: improving housing, parenting support, making healthcare accessible to all children, building stronger communities, developing cross- party agreements, and ensuring a coherent whole-of-government approach to policies for children, supported by a Children’s Action Plan. What emerges from this public consultation has the potential to significantly improve this nation if the solutions are child-centred.

Think about a typical childhood: happy adventures and fun with the family; attending school; eating the meat, milk and other fresh produce we proudly market overseas; birthday parties, and a world of opportunities.

But for a large – and growing – number of Kiwi kids, that childhood is a distant dream. They don’t get to spend time having fun with mum or dad because their parents work excessive hours in low-paid jobs. Or perhaps their parents just can’t muster the energy needed for positive, playful interactions with their kids.

Little wonder then, that when Barnardos asked children what adults could do to make their lives better they responded with statements like: “Not scaring kids, no-one should scare or hit kids.” Others said, “Kids should get school lunches or school fruit”, “Help us get stationery”, “Free healthcare up to age 16″.

These statements illustrate the reality for children. They are the population most likely to have been living in relative poverty over the past 20 years, with at least 22 per cent of children currently going without. The fact that a disproportionate number are brown is no excuse for ignoring them.

The strong correlation between poverty and maltreatment, not to mention infectious diseases, means any effort to improve life for children in vulnerable circumstances must address all the social and economic factors impacting on them. Hence the need for cross-government and cross-NGO work, supported by a Children’s Action Plan that identifies accountabilities.

In contrast to the plight of children, New Zealand has a proud record of caring for another vulnerable population: the elderly. A policy that provides universal assistance based on age, delivered through a simple system that doesn’t change with each new government, means we have one of the lowest levels of elderly poverty in the OECD – 7 per cent. We can learn from this model of support and consider providing similar solutions for children.

Right now, the government seems prepared to look at the changes needed to improve life for children. In addition to the Green Paper, a Ministerial Committee on Poverty has been established, and parliament’s Maori Affairs Select Committee is looking closely at the wellbeing of Maori children. These are great initiatives.

When it comes down to it, change for children is about all of us. Are we ready to make Aotearoa NZ a great place to be a child?

SUNDAY STAR TIMES

The ‘1000 days campaign’ calls for increased, and more effective, investment in the early years of a child’s life – the first 1000 days.  The 1000 day (3 year) parliamentary term spans the crucial first 1000 days of a child’s life – when the most important physical, mental and social development occurs. 

“The first 1000 days represents the greatest chance politicians have to get it right now and for the future.  New Zealand children currently experience some of the worst outcomes in the OECD resulting from low levels of investment, maltreatment and poverty.  Those poor outcomes cost the nation at least $6bn per annum,” says Every Child Counts Chairperson, Liz Gibbs. 

“There is a wealth of evidence showing the high return on investment in children. We are urging all parliamentarians to ensure that children are at the centre of this parliament’s focus and parents receive the support they need to meet their responsibilities to their children.”

1. Any new government spending should be invested in children, particularly those in the early years.
2. Government needs to demonstrate leadership that helps change attitudes and behaviour.  It can do this by increasing investment in children and speaking positively about children, young people and parents.
3. Children have to be more visible in all government and parliamentary processes.  There should be clear ministerial accountability, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child should be used as a framework for policy development and child impact assessments should be conducted to measure the likely impact of policies on children. 
4. A Children’s Action Plan should improve life for all children, set targets for increasing wellbeing, and identify government priorities.  This should be supported by principle-based legislation, which makes children’s best interests central to government considerations. 
5. Child wellbeing is multi-dimensional so government policy, programmes and services need to be monitored and coordinated. 
6. There must be greater scope for innovation within government and communities, through use of high-trust contracts, results-based accountability and standardised measurement of outcomes.
7. Robust research is needed so that we know what works.  But we need to be careful not to discard everything we’ve got.
8. Kaupapa Maaori research and services are essential to getting it right for tamariki Maaori.
9. All children should have access to a set of universal services that is agreed across political parties and sustained in the long-term: antenatal care; midwifery; breastfeeding support; paid parental leave; well child health; free GPs; parenting education and support that enables secure attachment; immunisation; warm, dry housing; nutrition; and quality early childhood care and education.  Additional services and support should be available in proportion to the need of the family – the notion of progressive universalism.

10.  The workforce for children needs to be invested in, to increase skills such as supporting attachment; listening to children; detecting abuse; child protection; working with Maaori and Pasifika. 

11.  Social hazards such as alcohol, drugs and gambling need to be reduced.  Treatment for addictions and mental illness need to take into account the impact on the whole family.

12.  Community-led development needs to be resourced, with the capability of local leaders built so that local solutions can be developed in response to local problems.

13.  Geographical targeting should be increased so that it is issues-focused, not ethnically-focused.

Click here for print version

Click here to see the Office of the Children’s Commissioner position paper

For more information about the Children’s Green Paper visit www.childrensactionplan.govt.nz or www.saysomething.org.nz

Every Child Counts is seeking a Manager for up to 30 hours per week, to deliver effective advocacy strategies to advance the position of children.

The role requires :-

• excellent understanding of the principles of effective advocacy and issues affecting children in New Zealand, including Maaori and Pasifika
• good understanding of the processes of government
• strong public speaking skills
• a strategic thinker who can also deliver operationally
• excellent networks at high levels of all political parties, community organisations and business
• good administration skills.

 Click here to view the full job description.

You are welcome to invite others who may be interested in conducting this research.

If you have any questions, please contact Deborah Morris-Travers children1st@xtra.co.nz

“The policy priorities of welfare reform, support for teenage parents, increasing participation in early childhood education, and the ministerial committee on poverty all have the potential to improve life for children if policy is developed and implemented with children as a central consideration,” says Liz Gibbs, Chair of Every Child Counts. 

“Equally, policy in areas such as welfare has the potential to significantly undermine the social and economic conditions for children if implemented punitively and without any consideration of the likely impact on children. We recommend the use of child impact assessments so that policy impacts on children are transparent and any negative impacts can be mitigated.   

“There is growing acknowledgement internationally that countries wanting strong economies need to address inequality and ensure children get a good start in the early years – the first 1000 days of life.  We can achieve this if every minister at the Cabinet table and all relevant government departments maintain a focus on ensuring effective public investment in children and their families.

“This time of global fiscal and economic crisis, presents a good opportunity to be innovative in the development and delivery of policy by putting children at the centre, reprioritising investment so that children’s needs are met and speaking positively about the place of children in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

“The return on investment in children is high, so we encourage the government to be bold and make children the priority,” concludes Liz Gibbs.

* He Mano Ra – 1000 days to get it right for every child – an Every Child Counts campaign for better investment in children. Check us out on Facebook

*Every Child Counts is a coalition led by Barnardos, Plunket, UNICEF, Save the Children and Te Kahui Mana Ririki working to increase the status and wellbeing of New Zealand children.