New Zealand Department of Child, Youth and Family Services
Encyclopedia
Child, Youth and Family "CYF" (in Māori
, Te Tari Awhina i te Tamaiti, te Rangatahi, tae atu ki te Whanau), is the government agency
that has legal powers to intervene to protect and help children who are being abused or neglected or who have problem behaviour. CYF works with the Police and the Courts in dealing with young offenders under the youth justice system. It provides residential and care services for children in need of care and protection and for young offenders. CYF assesses people who wish to adopt children and it reports to the Family Court on adoption applications. CYF facilitates the exchange of identifying information for parties to past adoptions. The agency also funds community organisations working with children, young people and their families to support the community’s role in protecting and helping children.
CYF is a functional unit of the Ministry of Social Development
(MSD), following the 2006 merger of the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) and MSD. CYFS had been established in 1999 from the former Children and Young Persons Service (CYPS).
Responsibility for CYF is included in the portfolio of the Minister for Social Development and Employment. The current Minister is Hon. Paula Bennett
.
through The Adoption Information and Services Unit (AISU).
In addition, the department provides residential and care services for children and young people who require placing away from their parents, guardians or usual caregivers, and funds a wide range of community-based social services, with a focus on children, young people
and families in need of support.
's Blogger
. The blog's stated aim was unveiling examples of alleged incompetence by the Child Youth and Family Service and published the personal details of several CYFS social workers. The Ministry responded by complaining to Google
. In late February, the blog's anonymous author made death threats towards Green
MP Sue Bradford
as a result of her Crimes (Abolition of Force as a Justification for Child Discipline) Amendment Bill 2005. Google responded on 22 February 2007 by deleted the site as a breach of their terms of service.
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
, Te Tari Awhina i te Tamaiti, te Rangatahi, tae atu ki te Whanau), is the government agency
State sector organisations in New Zealand
Public sector organisations in New Zealand include the State sector plus the organisations of local government.Within the State sector lies the State services, and within this, lies the core Public service....
that has legal powers to intervene to protect and help children who are being abused or neglected or who have problem behaviour. CYF works with the Police and the Courts in dealing with young offenders under the youth justice system. It provides residential and care services for children in need of care and protection and for young offenders. CYF assesses people who wish to adopt children and it reports to the Family Court on adoption applications. CYF facilitates the exchange of identifying information for parties to past adoptions. The agency also funds community organisations working with children, young people and their families to support the community’s role in protecting and helping children.
CYF is a functional unit of the Ministry of Social Development
New Zealand Ministry of Social Development
The Ministry of Social Development is a New Zealand government agency which has two main functions: providing social policy advice to the government, and providing social services. It is New Zealand’s largest government department employing people in over 200 locations around the country...
(MSD), following the 2006 merger of the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) and MSD. CYFS had been established in 1999 from the former Children and Young Persons Service (CYPS).
Responsibility for CYF is included in the portfolio of the Minister for Social Development and Employment. The current Minister is Hon. Paula Bennett
Paula Bennett
Paula Lee Bennett is a New Zealand politician and member of parliament for the National Party. She is a Cabinet minister with the roles of Minister for Social Development and Employment, Minister for Disability Issues and Minister of Youth Affairs.-Early life:Bennett was born in 1969 to Bob...
.
Legislation
MSD administers, or is involved in administering, the following CYF-related legislation:- Adoption Act 1955,
- Adult Adoption Information Act 1985,
- Adoption (Intercountry) Act 1997,
- Care of Children Act 2004,
- Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989The Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989 is an Act of the New Zealand Parliament, passed in 1989. The Act provided for the care and protection of children as well as youth justice...
, - Disabled Persons Community Welfare Act 1975,
- Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988.
Responsibilities
Protecting children and young people who are at risk of or who have been abused or neglected, or who are at risk of offending, is the service's primary responsibility, and it carries out investigations when a child or young person is believed to be "at risk". Where there is a risk of serious harm, it can exercise powers to ensure that a child is kept safe from that risk. The department also deals with youth justice, a section of the law that deals mainly with offending by young people aged 14–16 years, and adoptionAdoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
through The Adoption Information and Services Unit (AISU).
In addition, the department provides residential and care services for children and young people who require placing away from their parents, guardians or usual caregivers, and funds a wide range of community-based social services, with a focus on children, young people
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
and families in need of support.
CYFS Watch blog
In January 2007, a controversial blog "CYFS Watch" appeared on GoogleGoogle
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
's Blogger
Blogger (service)
Blogger is a blog-publishing service that allows private or multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. It was created by Pyra Labs, which was bought by Google in 2003. Generally, the blogs are hosted by Google at a subdomain of blogspot.com. Up until May 1, 2010 Blogger allowed users to publish...
. The blog's stated aim was unveiling examples of alleged incompetence by the Child Youth and Family Service and published the personal details of several CYFS social workers. The Ministry responded by complaining to Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
. In late February, the blog's anonymous author made death threats towards Green
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
MP Sue Bradford
Sue Bradford
Sue Bradford is a New Zealand politician who served as a list Member of Parliament representing the Green Party from 1999 to 2009.- Early life :...
as a result of her Crimes (Abolition of Force as a Justification for Child Discipline) Amendment Bill 2005. Google responded on 22 February 2007 by deleted the site as a breach of their terms of service.