Category: Children and Wellbeing

Source: Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: CPAG education expert appointed to Tomorrow’s Schools Taskforce

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is thrilled with the Minister of Education’s appointment of Professor John O’Neill to the Independent Taskforce to Review Tomorrow’s Schools.

Professor O’Neill, Head of the Institute of Education at Massey University, is a long-standing and prominent member of CPAG’s Management Committee. He is also a member of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE).

Professor O’Neill’s research and advocacy work to build a more equitable and inclusive education system has been central to CPAG’s on-going campaign to end child poverty and improve education outcomes for children whose lives are affected by structural socio-economic disadvantage.

Professor O’Neill says the appointment came “out of the blue”, and he was surprised to receive the phone call informing him that the Minister of Education would like him to be a member of the Independent Taskforce.

“It is such an honour, and a privilege, to have been shoulder-tapped,” said Professor O’Neill.

CPAG is in no way surprised that the expertise of Professor O’Neill has been called upon for this significant  project.

“We congratulate John on this highly appropriate appointment that recognises not only his extensive academic expertise, but also his deep commitment to social justice.  We look forward to the result of the far-reaching and timely review of self-managing schools and the Taskforce’s recommendations,” says Janfrie Wakim, Co-convenor for CPAG.

Professor O’Neill is pleased that the review will be conducted entirely independently and he hopes the Taskforce’s work will enable government to practically address the growing social and economic gaps that undermine children’s learning and achievement.

“The acid test of any state schooling system is how well it works in the interests of the most disadvantaged children in society. To what extent does attendance at school improve life chances?” says Professor O’Neill.

“Of course, schooling can’t fix our chronic social and economic inequalities. If society and the economy are structured to widen the gap between the haves and the have nots, it really doesn’t matter how the schooling system is structured and delivered.”

Professor O’Neill says he values CPAG’s work and advocacy because it recognises that income poverty and material hardship among children can only be eradicated if all of government and the NGO sector commit to ensuring children’s rights and best interests.

“That means, health, social welfare, education, criminal justice and the rest putting children at the heart of public policy.

“It means ensuring that all local communities have the full range of support services people need within easy reach, and which are free at the point of use. Schools can certainly serve as community hubs, but they need to be allowed to focus their energies and expertise on teaching and learning,” says Professor O’Neill.

Professor O’Neill has long advocated for improving children’s chances to experience their best possible education by reducing cost barriers and ensuring parents are not encumbered by the ‘hidden costs’ of education.

“It is vital that families should have enough income to meet their children’s needs so that they are able to attend school regularly and have educational experiences that are as good as their peers,” says Professor O’Neill.

“The link between poverty, hardship and poor education outcomes is significant, and we have opportunities within the education system to alleviate some of the pressure on parents to meet costs that they cannot afford. We also have the opportunity to prepare resilient teachers to staff our schools and create holistic education programmes that meet the social and cultural needs of all children, as well as to encourage and maintain their natural curiosity for learning.”

Congratulations John!

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Source: Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: April Newsletter

Kia ora koutou katoa, and welcome to Child Poverty Action Group New Zealand’s April 2018 newsletter.

 

In This Issue

Nationwide post budget events 2018

Child Poverty Reduction Bill Submission

Round the Bays 2018

Community film screening fundraiser

Policy news

CPAG news update

CPAG blog update

Keeping up with the regional networks

Join the conversation on FB & Twitter

Save the date CPAG summit

 

Nationwide Post Budget events 2018 

Please join us for our nationwide Post Budget Breakfast events to learn how the Government’s 2018 Budget affects children and young people, especially those in the most precarious social and economic situations. CPAG will provide child– focused analysis and commentary on the Budget which is being announced on May 17. 

This year CPAG is holding post budget events in Auckland, Wellington (joint event with PHA) and Christchurch on May 18. In Nelson and Whangarei the post budget event will be held on May 23. A detailed invite will be sent out soon.

Auckland -18 May, 11:45am – 1pm (new time)

Mt Eden War Memorial Hall (new venue)

RSVP here

Wellington – 18 May, 7:15am – 8.30am

The Boat Shed, Taranaki Street Wharf

RSVP here by 17th May

Manaia Health PHO

Whangarei – 23 May

Nelson – 23 May, 9:30-11:30am

Stoke Primary School Hall

RSVP to cpag2016nn@gmail.com or download flier here.

Christchurch – 18 May, 7.15am

Villa Maria Girls College

 

Child Poverty Reduction Bill Submission

The Child Poverty Reduction Bill is a first step in helping to reduce child poverty as it will commit and keep accountable this and future governments to measure, set targets, have a plan and publicly report on child poverty reduction progress. But the draft legislation needs many improvements if it is to sustain meaningful reductions in poverty and improvements in child wellbeing. CPAG submitted on the Bill, along with many other individuals and organisations on April 4. CPAG recommended that a range of qualitative studies should supplement the proposed measures, and that the 40% after housing costs relative poverty line should be a primary measure. CPAG also recommended that Children and families be involved in the consultation process of crafting the Bill, and that data collecting should be better resourced and more timely. Children’s rights should provide the foundation of a successful Child Wellbeing Strategy.

CPAG worked alongside Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa (ACYA) who led the development of an overarching submission from a wide range of groups with expertise on children (the children’s sector). The collaborative submission was endorsed by more than 40 organisations and individuals.

ActionStation also worked with CPAG to produce a crowd-sourced submission – with their campaign receiving more than 371 submissions which were sent to the Select Committee.

The responses show just how important to New Zealanders ending child poverty is and the support for this cause has been remarkable.

 

Round the Bays 2018

There was a record turnout of CPAG members and supporters at the iconic Auckland Round the Bays fun run on Sunday 4 March, 2018. The Ports of Auckland Round the Bays is an annual event that brings together communities from far and wide to support the wonderful work of New Zealand charities. As well as joining in with one of Auckland’s foremost public events, Round the Bays offers CPAG supporters the opportunity to help fundraise for us. A big special thanks all who came along in support of CPAG – they managed to raise over $650 for our research this year!

Community film screening fundraiser

On Tuesday March 20, a community film screening of Wetheuncivilised: A Life Story was held at the St Columba Centre in Ponsonby, Auckland, to fundraise towards CPAG’s work in 2018. There was a great turnout to the event and CPAG wishes to thank Deborah Sim for her tremendous effort and generosity. The event raised $340.

 

Policy News

Education

Tomorrow’s Schools Review terms of reference announced

A new Education Work Programme to review Tomorrow’s Schools was announced by Minister of Education Chris Hipkins on March 13. The Minister said the review will “look at how we can better support equity and inclusion for all children throughout their schooling, what changes are needed to support their educational success, and at the fitness of our school system to equip all our students for a rapidly changing world,” and “consider how schools might interact differently with their communities, with other schools, with employers, and with other government organisations, to serve the best interests of our young people.”

CPAG welcomed the review, saying that a fairer and more equitable education system is likely to be the outcome of this policy review. Professor John O’Neill and Dr Vicki Carpenter, CPAG education spokespeople recommended significantly increasing schools operational funding for all children, and promoted a ‘genuinely free’ public education.

Professor O’Neill, said that “It is imperative that household expenditure on education is reduced to the OECD average, and pressure lifted from parents to subsidise inadequate government expenditure. Increasing household incomes significantly will also ensure that children aren’t kept home from school when there is no money for lunch, sanitary items, or they experience poverty-related illness – all of which has detrimental effects on children’s learning and educational outcomes.”

CPAG is thrilled to announce that Professor O’Neill has been appointed to the Tomorrow’s Schools review taskforce, alongside Bali Haque (Chair), Barbara Ala’alatoa, Mere Berryman and Cathy Wylie.

Housing

Housing Minister proposes new Bill to ban letting fees on rental properties

On March 22 Housing Minister Phil Twyford introduced a proposed new Bill to ban letting fees from all residential rental agreements. Minister Twyford said “Banning the charging of letting fees to tenants is a good first step in improving the life of renters, while we continue our broader review of the Residential Tenancies Act. CPAG agrees this is a great start, and shows that the Government is committed to improving the housing situation for the many who rent. But a ‘broader review’ should be prioritised as urgent, with significant new legislation that provides renters with much more comprehensive protection and security, including:

• Standard tenancy contracts that offer a minimum of three years tenure security;
• Clear information within the initial agreement about what the rent increases will be, and increases should be limited to yearly;
• A comprehensive rental Warrant of Fitness, so tenants are assured that problems which have health and safety implications will be remedied with urgency, and not with the threat of a rent increase;
• No evictions without good reason, and longer notice periods given;
• Tougher penalties for contract breaches including criminal charges for serious breaches.

On top of this, our state housing supply must increase rapidly and dramatically. Children’s lives are impacted far too greatly by poor quality, unaffordable, housing and insecure tenure.

Read more in CPAG’s News Update below.

 

CPAG News Update

Latest press releases February to April 2018

2 Mar Warm congratulations to Professor Innes Asher

25 Mar Proposed Education Bill could be disastrous for disadvantaged children

4 April Children’s sector unites to support a reduction in Child Poverty

11 April CPAG welcomes new report on Children’s Rights

 

CPAG Blog Update

Latest blog posts February to April

28 February – Dilapidated rental homes are a health hazard for children

Being a permanent tenant is a part of normal life for many. But insecurity and unfavourable conditions exist at every turn; renters are faced with short-term leases and inadequate housing standards that are hazardous to our well-being, and especially children’s. We are hearing that some landlords shirk their obligations, and exploit their rights at the expense of their tenants’ wellbeing. Kate and her children were unfortunate victims of such a landlord.

11 April – Human rights, housing and child poverty – where do we stand?

How well is New Zealand doing to ensure it upholds its international obligations to human rights, especially where they relate to children? The concluding observations from a recent review of how New Zealand is performing on its obligation to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) show that there is ample room for improvement.

 

Keeping up with CPAG Regional Networks

Currently CPAG has networks in Whangarei, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Nelson. If you’re interested in attending CPAG events in your local region please sign up to your closest network mailing list.

If your organisation or event is looking for support from a local CPAG on issues that relate to our kaupapa, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

 

Nelson Update

Understanding Material Deprivation in Nelson – talk by Dr Dan Exeter of Auckland University- 12 April

On April 12, the Nelson CPAG group held a presentation about how material deprivation impacts on the Nelson-Tasman region, with guest speaker Dr Dan Exeter, an academic from the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, and key member of the Index of Material Deprivation (IMD). The New Zealand Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is a set of tools for identifying concentrations of deprivation in New Zealand. Dr Exeter spoke about the development of the IMD, how it compares to NZDep and the different ways in which the IMD and its domains can be used to better understand the drivers of deprivation within the Nelson-Tasman area.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

For the latest news, blogs and policy updates related to child poverty, check out our Facebook page.

The CPAG social media community is growing and to date we have reached 13,300 ‘likes’ on Facebook! We are working hard at ensuring we highlight items of significance and relevance to child poverty in New Zealand, and take note of what is going on in other countries so that we can find out what works for children and what doesn’t. We also aim to keep you up-to-date on local seminars that are useful and informative, as well as events that will be entertaining, and links to campaigns by other organisations in the child well-being network.

We need your help to spread the word, and we care about what you think. So join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @cpagnz. Contribute to the discussion, like and share our posts if you find them meaningful. We value your feedback, and invite you to private message us or email us should you have a query or would like to share something with us. Our blog posts online also invite you to comment and share via social media. With your help, we can change the narrative about poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand and make it a better place for whānau and tamariki, for generations to come.

Ngā mihi nui

Save the date CPAG Summit

This year CPAG is excited to announce that the CPAG summit is being held in

Wellington on 12th September. More details to come.

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Source: Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Human rights, housing and child poverty – where do we stand?

How well is New Zealand doing to ensure it upholds its international obligations to human rights, especially where they relate to children?

The concluding observations from a recent review of how New Zealand is performing on its obligation to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) show that there is ample room for improvement.

While we’re making small headway, with the Government’s intention to implement new legislation designed to reduce child poverty and improve children’s wellbeing, we are still a long way off ensuring that every child enjoys the benefits of our country’s flourishing economy.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) expressed grave concern about the disproportionate numbers of Māori and Pasifika children as well as children with disabilities living in households with incomes below the relative income poverty line, and recommended that New Zealand:

Strengthen its efforts to combat poverty, in particular among households with dependent children, notably Māori or Pasifika children and children with disabilities … In particular, the Committee urges the State party to accelerate the enactment of the Child Poverty Reduction Bill introduced in January 2018, and ensure that the Child Wellbeing Strategy is well resourced and effectively implemented.

With respect to the right to housing, the growing phenomenon of homelessness and lack of affordable housing options for low-income families in New Zealand was of particular concern to the Committee. It recommended that we address issues of homelessness more effectively by “monitor[ing] and record[ing] more systematically the situation of the homeless” and implementing the “Strategy to End Homelessness”.

The Committee said New Zealand should adopt a human rights-based national housing strategy and, “step up its efforts to increase the availability of quality affordable housing, paying particular attention to low-income, Māori and Pasifika families as well as persons with disabilities and older persons, and allocate the necessary resources for the effective implementation of the KiwiBuild programme.”

With respect to the right to education, the hidden costs of our ‘free’ public education system, mean that New Zealand households are paying more for their children’s education on average than those in other OECD countries. The Committee recommended that our Government should:

• take effective steps to address indirect schooling costs, including by implementing the scheme to increase funding for public schools, so as to ensure equal access to education by all children and students.

With respect to the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to social security, the poor quality of living evidenced by the number of children living in hardship, and the high rate of hospitalisations among children related to living in cold and damp and overcrowded houses revealed that our welfare system fails to provide a decent standard of living for families in need of support, and that the quality of rental housing should be better regulated.

The punitive manner in which people who receive a welfare benefit are treated by the system, when they aren’t able to meet the stringent rules, was subjected to scrutiny. CPAG is pleased to note that they took particular issue with the way that sanctions for non-compliance impact on children.

The Committee recommended New Zealand:

• ensure that persons in need of social assistance effectively receive social security benefits that are adequate and allow the beneficiaries and their families to enjoy an adequate standard of living;
• assess the effectiveness of the [benefit] sanctions regime, bearing in mind the core content of the right to social security and the best interests of the child.
• redouble its efforts to regulate the private housing market, including by controlling rent increases, and take effective measures to ensure that housing rental units are safe for living, including by strengthening legislation that require minimum quality standards for heating and insulation in rental homes.

CPAG teamed up with Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa (ACYA) to submit to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ahead of their 63rd session in March 2018, with our recommendations on what can ensure we are working towards having a New Zealand where all children can flourish. Click here to download the full submission.  

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Source: Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: CPAG welcomes new report on Children’s Rights

Child Poverty Action Group welcomes the new report from the Children’s Convention Monitoring Group (CCMG), and its timely release following the 25th anniversary of New Zealand signing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC).

The new report, entitled Getting It Right: Building Blocks, looks at how new and current legislation, including the Government’s proposed Child Poverty Reduction Bill, could be improved to ensure that all children’s rights are protected and that they are able to thrive.

“Missing from the draft legislation for the Child Poverty Reduction Bill currently in the House is any mention of our commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child,” says Frank Hogan, CPAG’s law and children’s rights spokesperson.

“It is important that any approach to reducing child poverty and improving child wellbeing is  underpinned by strong support for children’s rights.

“Adequate food, shelter and safety and their families’ access to an adequate income are the absolute minimum right of every child.”

CPAG supports the recommendation by the CCMG to ensure that any data collected on children’s wellbeing is “disaggregated, by age, gender identity, disability, geographic location, ethnic origin, nationality and socioeconomic background,” as well as the recommendation to include children in the process of setting policy and designing services.

“We have too many children facing poverty and homelessness and it is important that various determinants of hardship be understood in terms of who is most affected and how we can support ALL children to be adequately housed, to ensure that all their needs are met, and that they are supported into the best possible outcomes,” says Hogan.

“Children’s voices in the matter are crucial to building genuinely child-centred policies and services, that are able to provide for children and their families appropriately.”

CPAG recently submitted on the draft Child Poverty Reduction Bill, saying that sustaining a reduction in poverty and improved child wellbeing will require the introduction of many new child-centred policies that are implemented Government-wide and interact across all sectors.

CPAG says that such policies will be critical to upholding and maintaining the right of all children, without discrimination, to have good childhoods: to be cared for by their parents and whānau, with adequate support where needed; to be free from violence, to have a good standard of living, timely access to quality healthcare and a quality education, and to have recreational opportunities and to play and be with friends.

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Source: Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Children’s sector unites to support a reduction in Child Poverty

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) says that the Government’s Child Poverty Reduction Bill and changes to the Vulnerable Children’s Act (2014) are important new steps toward improving the lives of many of Aotearoa’s children. CPAG has submitted on the Bill and proposed changes today, with recommendations for strengthening them even further.

Of chief concern is the way in which poverty is measured, the relevance of data and the timeliness of reporting.

“The depth of child poverty cannot be understood by the measures in this Bill alone,” says Associate Professor Susan St John, CPAG economics spokesperson.

“A range of qualitative studies should also be undertaken to supplement these measures, including the demands experienced by charities, food banks and budget services to give a more rounded and timely picture of levels of child and family hardship.

“Government should also consult widely with families, ranging in size and income, to better understand their costs and what is needed to ensure that all the bills are paid, and their whole family’s needs are adequately met. We should be looking to provide more than just subsistence living for those in need.”

As severe poverty isn’t set to be defined until 2025, the 40% (After housing costs) measure should be a primary measure. CPAG argues that there should be no families with children under this very low line. Currently there are 140,000 children at this lowest end of the income poverty spectrum.

More resourcing should be allocated to annual reporting and ensuring that survey samples accurately reflect the population demographics, and to ensure that it is collected and reported on in a timely fashion. Current reporting uses data that is often more than two years out of date.

CPAG also recommends intermediary reporting at the end of 2018 to gauge the impacts of family income changes that take effect from July 1.

Children’s rights to an adequate standard of living, to be free from violence and discrimination, and to be able to participate fully socially should underpin a successful Child Wellbeing Strategy. 

CPAG’s full submission is available online here.

In addition, CPAG has been working alongside Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa (ACYA) to lead the development of an overarching submission from a wide range of groups with expertise on children (the children’s sector). The submission has now been endorsed by 41 organisations and individuals, demonstrating strong unity within the children’s sector on what systemic changes are needed to support all Aotearoa-New Zealand’s children to flourish. The document outlines some high level recommendations around data and reporting, and principles that should be the foundation of a successful child well-being strategy.

Professor Innes Asher, CPAG health spokesperson says that working together is critical to achieving a New Zealand where all children can flourish.

“Groups working for and with children are deeply concerned about child poverty in New Zealand and its consequences, which many of us see in our daily work,” says Professor Asher.

“In this overarching submission from the children’s sector we have successfully worked together, and speak with one voice on this critical issue. We demonstrate the kind of unanimity needed in our political systems in order to lift all affected children out of hardship and poverty.”

The full list of individuals and organisations who have supported the joint sector submission is below, and the submission is available online here.

ActionStation has also developed an online guide offering the public the chance to be a part of a crowdsourced submission on the draft law.

Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa (ACYA)

Auckland City Mission

Barnardos

Child Poverty Action Group

Child Matters

CCS Disability Action

Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Otago, Wellington

Disabled Persons Assembly NZ

Dr Emily Keddell

Dr Ian Hassall

Dr John Garrett

He Whanau Manaaki A Tararua Free Kindergarten Association

IHC New Zealand

KidsCan

Medical Students for Global Awareness

New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine

New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS)

New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi

New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Ngā Tangata Microfinance

NZEI Te Riu Roa

OMEP Auckland Chapter

OMEP Aotearoa New Zealand

OMEP Otago Chapter

Paediatric Society of New Zealand

Parent Help

Peace Movement Aotearoa

Public Health Association of New Zealand

Royal New Zealand Plunket Trust

Save the Children New Zealand

Social Service Providers Aotearoa

Stand Children’s Services Tu Maia Whanau

Te Awakairangi Health Network

True Colours Children’s Health Trust

UNICEF New Zealand

University of Otago Children’s Issues Centre

Variety -The Children’s Charity

Wesley Community Action

Whakaora Ngangahau Aotearoa – Occupational Therapy New Zealand

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Aotearoa Section (WILPF)

Youth Law Aotearoa

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