This programme is Child, Youth and Family’s response to the challenges set out in the recommendations of the Brown report Care and Protection is about Adult Behaviour. The report contained 57 recommendations that were accepted by the Government at the time of its release in March.

“As chief executive, I acknowledge that Child, Youth and Family is under extreme pressure in many areas and that change is needed as a matter of urgency. That is why we’ve developed the New Directions plan to implement the recommendations of the Brown Report”, says Jackie Brown. With the additional funding provided to the Department by Budget 2001, Child, Youth and Family has begun the process of implementing this comprehensive programme for change – a programme that reflects a renewed focus on quality outcomes for children, young people and their families, not just on seeking immediate solutions to immediate problems.

“New Directions is an exciting initiative that will bring benefits to our clients, our staff and the wider community,” says Craig. “It places us much more on track for meeting our legislative requirements and work proposed aligns with the findings of Mick Brown’s review of our procedures for referrals, notifications and placements.”

New Directions’ goal is to “build an organisation that advances the well-being of families and the well-being of children and young people as members of families, whanau, hapu and iwi. Children and young people who are in need of care or protection, or who offend against the law, are the primary focus our services.”

The programme aims to achieve its goal through a strengths-based, outcomes-focused approach, which harnesses the strengths of individuals and families to achieve six overarching results for children and young people: safety; family functioning and support; permanence and stability; cultural and spiritual identity; client satisfaction; and well-being.

“Reaction to the approach has been extremely positive,” says Jackie. “It combines approaches that have been successfully used both internationally and by other providers in New Zealand, and we’re confident it’s the right direction for us. Indeed, we’re keen to learn from the experience of others in developing our own programme, and look forward to working with them.

“I’ve greatly appreciated the contributions of all who have attended the New Directions forums,” she says. “The next thing we must do is act, and get our new approach working for clients, staff and providers.”

Strategies for change
“New Directions requires us to look at the issues we currently face and identify strategies and initiatives for improvement,” says Craig. “It’s about changing how we interact with our clients to ensure we get good results, and about how we can build an organisation that supports our people with the right resources and training for the work they do.”

New Directions sets out three broad approaches to guide the programme of change:

• Join and build alliances with communities to achieve better outcomes
• Become a joined up agency that is outcomes focused, strengths based and client centred
• Take a regional approach to delivery

The programme has five key strategies:

1. Improve practice: improve Child, Youth and Family’s delivery of its core care and protection and youth justice services.

2. Strengthen the professional workforce: improve support for social workers’ professional practice through practice models, training, supervision and practice support.

3. Collaborate with communities; develop clear strategies, relationships and alliances with communities.

4. Design and build a joined-up agency: align Child, Youth and Family’s structure, processes and systems to support a regional approach.

5. Build leadership capability: improve the organisation’s strategic capability, with a focus on leadership development.

Each of the five strategies has a set of projects, of which nine have been identified as critical to the programme’s success:

1. Holding future search conferences with community partners.

2. Designing the joined-up and regionally focused agency.

3. Improving the interface with communities.

4. Implementing an organisational governance and strategic leadership programme.

5. Implementing a comprehensive social work workforce planning strategy.

6. Implementing a learning and development strategy to meet social workers’ professional development needs.

7. Implementing strengths-based, outcomes-focused approaches to social work practice.

8. Designing and implementing meaningful performance measures for Child, Youth and Family.

9. Establishing quality assurance and internal monitoring processes and systems which will drive the new strengths-based, outcomes-focused approach.

Work is already underway on developing the social work practice model, and future search conferences are scheduled for later this year. Meanwhile, work will begin soon on organisational governance and leadership development.

Reference group contribution critical
Child, Youth and Family recognises the importance and value of contributions from people beyond the organisation itself. With this in mind it has established an External Reference Group, which will provide advice on the programme as a whole and on significant individual projects.

The organisation will also establish an Internal Reference Group to provide front-line perspectives and offer advice.

Long-term sustainability
“Of course this change is not going to happen overnight,” says Craig. “While we will see some immediate changes, it will probably take three to five years to implement the whole New Directions programme. Above all, we want to make sure we do it at the right pace, one step at a time. It involves wide-ranging changes for everyone involved, and it’s important that we do it well.”

Over time the programme will offer staff improved access to training and enable them to take a more comprehensive approach to social work practice as Child, Youth and Family’s resources are focused on client services and outcomes. Clients will find the Department’s services easier to access and understand. We will work to engage clients and work with them for positive results through identifying needs and building on client strengths as well as responding to risk.

Community providers will see and hear one voice and story from Child, Youth and Family. They will be involved in services planning and share outcomes with the Department, which will work collaboratively with the community as part of a continuum of social service response. “The challenge for us as a Department will be to make New Directions a reality. For this to happen three changes must occur: firstly adults’ behaviour and attitudes must change; secondly we need improved resourcing and the Budget has provided us with a significant boost; and we need to improve our capability as an organisation.”

“We welcome Mick Brown’s report, which has encouraged us to focus and plan to improve our service and approach. We also strongly support his view that child abuse is about adult behaviour and that this is an issue for all New Zealanders,” says Jackie. Extract from Early Help June 2001