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Children in care report published
Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier is calling on the Government to make changes to Oranga Tamariki on a scale rarely required of a government agency.
“I am making this call because I regret to say I cannot yet provide reassurance that the practices and processes used by Oranga Tamariki are consistently operating as they ought to.”
Mr Boshier’s comments follow the publication of his report on 21 February 2024, that details complaints he has dealt with about Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children over the past four years.
“In preparation for my enhanced role under the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act, which came into force mid-last year, I have been reviewing 2000 complaints and other enquiries I have dealt with from people about Oranga Tamariki and its predecessor agencies.
“I have spent the last year analysing these complaints and enquiries, including those from tamariki and rangatahi, and compiled a comprehensive report on practices and processes by Oranga Tamariki.
“While there are areas of good practice and outcomes, which I have acknowledged, my report contains some extremely distressing stories. They include a rangatahi kept in an institution against their wishes for years, and a young disabled mother whose baby was uplifted at birth and never returned.
“I share the hope of the complainants I spoke to that sharing their stories provides transparency, accountability and an opportunity for Oranga Tamariki and the new Government to really make profound changes to the way the Ministry operates,” Mr Boshier says.
The report, Children in care: complaints to the Ombudsman 2019-2023, details the types and numbers of complaints to the Ombudsman about Oranga Tamariki, emerging themes from the complaints, relevant case studies, and how the Ombudsman resolves issues for complainants and to improve the system as a whole. The report also covers the recommendations the Ombudsman makes to Oranga Tamariki, and how and when Oranga Tamariki responds to these recommendations.
Kindly click here to read the full article. Please refer to the download section below if you would like to read the report.
Source: The National Ombudsman of New Zealand
