Child Youth and Family, Leading For Outcomes
http://www.cyf.govt.nz/documents/leading_for_outcomes.pdf
CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY
2007 – 2010
2
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
3
our vision
Safe children and young people
in strong families and communities.
our mission
Is to help shape a New Zealand where
children and young people grow up in families
that are free from abuse and violence,
free from neglect and free from offending.
our goal
Creating an organisation that is
responsive to the needs of the children
and young people we serve.
4
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
introduction
Child, Youth and Family operates in an environment of high risk and high expectation.
Our performance in responding to the individual needs of children, young people and
their families is an important issue for local communities.
The significant investment in our organisation in recent years means that we are
now better resourced, structured and managed, and we have in place practices and
operating disciplines that ensure we can meet performance expectations. This is
allowing us to move towards a stronger outcomes focus in our work.
The professionalism we must exhibit in carrying out our work reflects the
responsibility that is given to us to care for children and young people who are
vulnerable or at risk.
The confidence of New Zealanders in what we do comes from their sense of our
performance and success in delivering services to their communities. We must
operate in a way that is engaging, respectful, transparent and responsive.
We must also be clear about what needs to be achieved if we are to meet these
expectations. Leading for Outcomes gives us a clear focus on the areas we need
to be successful in if we are to make a difference.
Above all, we will be judged on our ability to do what’s right for children and
young people.
5
Above all, we will
be judged on our
ability to do what’s
right for children
and young people.
6
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
our priorities
Quality Social Work Practice
We are entrusted with the safety, security and wellbeing of
many children, young people and their families. Meeting the
highest standards of professional practice lies at the heart of
everything we do.
Addressing Youth Offending
Young people who commit offences and engage in criminal
activity need our support and supervision to turn their lives
around. Our youth justice services must meet this challenge.
7
Achieving Permanency for Children
The children in our care and the caregivers who look after them are special people.
A sense of belonging comes with permanency – every young person should have
that opportunity.
Responding to Community Needs and Expectations
When we work together with our communities, we shape local
solutions that achieve lasting outcomes. We can help to facilitate and
coordinate action at a local level.
Outcome Focussed Residential Facilities
Residential placements go to young people with the highest needs. The challenge they
pose to the safety, security and wellbeing of themselves and others means we need an
intensive and creative response.
Leadership
Leadership asks more of us. Our work is important to New Zealand families, children
and young people. It is our time to step forward on the issues they face, and to
believe in the ability of ourselves and those we work with to create positive change.
8
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
Family is always
central to
the choices
available…
To achieve our priorities
ensure the role
of the family is central to the choices
available for children and young people
by:
• taking advantage of our world-leading family decision making processes
by moving Family Group Conferences further to the front of our practice with
children, young people and families
• intensifying our work with iwi and hapu groups to increase the network
of caregivers who can offer permanency to members of their whänau.
9
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
10
CHILD,
deliver a world leading
system of care for children
and young people who can’t
live with their families
by:
• supporting our caregivers’ needs through training and
increased one-on-one attention to help us work even better
with this special group of people
• developing our care system to ensure we can provide all the
opportunities our young people need to succeed
• helping young people to independence so that their transition
from care is well planned and supported, and they know our
investment in them is ongoing
• joining up our services with Work and Income and Family
and Community Services as a priority for improving
outcomes for the children, young people and families we
are all working with.
11
embed our
Social Work Practice Framework as the
anchor for better outcomes for children,
young people and their families
by:
• strengthening our supervision processes to ensure we operate to the highest
professional standards through training and the development of systems that
record supervision at all levels
• establishing a case practice forum led by the Chief Social Worker that supports
Practice Leaders to champion the Practice Framework
• integrating our core practice, policy and procedural guidelines into one set that
is evidence based, up to date and accessible
• increasing the visibility of our core practice, policy and procedures through the
introduction of a social work support portal.
12
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
place high value
on the development of local initiatives
and solutions
by:
• fostering a culture that reinforces the importance of local leadership in developing
new and creative ways of delivering our services to improve outcomes
• responding to community expectations in a way that develops a can do attitude to
the way we lead our service in local communities.
partner with others to deliver high
quality programmes and services
by:
• increasing our responsiveness to vulnerable families, children and young people
by working locally with NGO groups to ensure people receive the help they need when
they need it. Working together allows us the opportunity to unlock a differential range
of responses to meet the diverse needs of vulnerable young people and their families
• planning with our key NGO providers at a national level to ensure strategy
and information is shared for maximum effect. This requires us to extend our
relationships beyond their contractual base to develop a more partnered response
to national priorities
• working with the Police, and the Ministries of Health and Education, to ensure
a co-ordinated government response to the needs of children, young people and
their families.
13
Working together allows us the opportunity to unlock
a differential range of responses to meet the diverse
needs of vulnerable young people and their families.
14
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
develop a culture
of high performance in discharging our
statutory responsibilities
by:
• creating a performance environment that provides transparency in our efforts
to improve outcomes for children and young people, and that reports effectively
against our bottom-line organisational expectations
• encouraging every leader and manager in Child, Youth and Family to benchmark
their performance against our highest achievers, learn from them, and help their
teams reach the same level of success
• recognising effort and achievement, and celebrating the successes we have with
the children and young people in our care and the families we work alongside.
15
actively
lead communication with clients, staff
and stakeholders
by
• putting in place capability at both regional and National Office level to lift our
performance in communicating with internal and external audiences
• maximising the potential of our Community Liaison Social Workers to improve
public awareness about child welfare issues
• introducing a relationship management approach with our stakeholders that
ensures their expectations, views and experiences are reflected in the way we
do things
• delivering Need 2 Know weekly as our primary internal communications about
key operational information.
16
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
further develop
our technology systems to create service
solutions for social workers
by:
• lifting CYRAS – our primary platform for recording, monitoring and managing
information about children and young people – to the next level of functionality
so that social workers feel better supported in the work they do
• delivering our Information Management System to provide critical data that will
support even better decision making by our staff and managers. Improving
information about children in our care will be the first major deliverable from this
work programme.
support the
development of a professional workforce
by:
• continuing to increase the level of the qualifications held by our social workers,
in recognition of the important role they play in our communities as trusted
advisors, advocates and practitioners
• setting a goal to have all social workers either registered or working towards
this standard.
17
18
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
strive to improve
life outcomes for the
disabled children we
work with
by:
• focussing attention on children and young
people with special needs to ensure they
receive the right support and services
• delivering a joint work programme with the
Ministry of Health in response to the Best of
Care Report and the Permanency Review to
support better outcomes.
19
We will know we are making a
difference when we begin to impact
these key outcomes for children
and young people...
Our Responsiveness Increases
All notifications of abuse or neglect are allocated for action within agreed
timeframes and investigation timelines are reduced to the minimum.
Abuse and Neglect Reduces
Substantiation of abuse or neglect for children we have worked with
previously reduces.
Permanency Increases
Permanent homes are found for more children, reducing the number of
children in our care. Emphasis will be placed on children under three and those
who have been in foster care for more than three years.
Youth Offending Reduces
Rates of re-offending are reduced among the young people we work with.
for the full pdf: http://www.cyf.govt.nz/documents/leading_for_outcomes.pdf
CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY
2007 – 2010
2
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
3
our vision
Safe children and young people
in strong families and communities.
our mission
Is to help shape a New Zealand where
children and young people grow up in families
that are free from abuse and violence,
free from neglect and free from offending.
our goal
Creating an organisation that is
responsive to the needs of the children
and young people we serve.
4
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
introduction
Child, Youth and Family operates in an environment of high risk and high expectation.
Our performance in responding to the individual needs of children, young people and
their families is an important issue for local communities.
The significant investment in our organisation in recent years means that we are
now better resourced, structured and managed, and we have in place practices and
operating disciplines that ensure we can meet performance expectations. This is
allowing us to move towards a stronger outcomes focus in our work.
The professionalism we must exhibit in carrying out our work reflects the
responsibility that is given to us to care for children and young people who are
vulnerable or at risk.
The confidence of New Zealanders in what we do comes from their sense of our
performance and success in delivering services to their communities. We must
operate in a way that is engaging, respectful, transparent and responsive.
We must also be clear about what needs to be achieved if we are to meet these
expectations. Leading for Outcomes gives us a clear focus on the areas we need
to be successful in if we are to make a difference.
Above all, we will be judged on our ability to do what’s right for children and
young people.
5
Above all, we will
be judged on our
ability to do what’s
right for children
and young people.
6
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
our priorities
Quality Social Work Practice
We are entrusted with the safety, security and wellbeing of
many children, young people and their families. Meeting the
highest standards of professional practice lies at the heart of
everything we do.
Addressing Youth Offending
Young people who commit offences and engage in criminal
activity need our support and supervision to turn their lives
around. Our youth justice services must meet this challenge.
7
Achieving Permanency for Children
The children in our care and the caregivers who look after them are special people.
A sense of belonging comes with permanency – every young person should have
that opportunity.
Responding to Community Needs and Expectations
When we work together with our communities, we shape local
solutions that achieve lasting outcomes. We can help to facilitate and
coordinate action at a local level.
Outcome Focussed Residential Facilities
Residential placements go to young people with the highest needs. The challenge they
pose to the safety, security and wellbeing of themselves and others means we need an
intensive and creative response.
Leadership
Leadership asks more of us. Our work is important to New Zealand families, children
and young people. It is our time to step forward on the issues they face, and to
believe in the ability of ourselves and those we work with to create positive change.
8
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
Family is always
central to
the choices
available…
To achieve our priorities
ensure the role
of the family is central to the choices
available for children and young people
by:
• taking advantage of our world-leading family decision making processes
by moving Family Group Conferences further to the front of our practice with
children, young people and families
• intensifying our work with iwi and hapu groups to increase the network
of caregivers who can offer permanency to members of their whänau.
9
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
10
CHILD,
deliver a world leading
system of care for children
and young people who can’t
live with their families
by:
• supporting our caregivers’ needs through training and
increased one-on-one attention to help us work even better
with this special group of people
• developing our care system to ensure we can provide all the
opportunities our young people need to succeed
• helping young people to independence so that their transition
from care is well planned and supported, and they know our
investment in them is ongoing
• joining up our services with Work and Income and Family
and Community Services as a priority for improving
outcomes for the children, young people and families we
are all working with.
11
embed our
Social Work Practice Framework as the
anchor for better outcomes for children,
young people and their families
by:
• strengthening our supervision processes to ensure we operate to the highest
professional standards through training and the development of systems that
record supervision at all levels
• establishing a case practice forum led by the Chief Social Worker that supports
Practice Leaders to champion the Practice Framework
• integrating our core practice, policy and procedural guidelines into one set that
is evidence based, up to date and accessible
• increasing the visibility of our core practice, policy and procedures through the
introduction of a social work support portal.
12
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
place high value
on the development of local initiatives
and solutions
by:
• fostering a culture that reinforces the importance of local leadership in developing
new and creative ways of delivering our services to improve outcomes
• responding to community expectations in a way that develops a can do attitude to
the way we lead our service in local communities.
partner with others to deliver high
quality programmes and services
by:
• increasing our responsiveness to vulnerable families, children and young people
by working locally with NGO groups to ensure people receive the help they need when
they need it. Working together allows us the opportunity to unlock a differential range
of responses to meet the diverse needs of vulnerable young people and their families
• planning with our key NGO providers at a national level to ensure strategy
and information is shared for maximum effect. This requires us to extend our
relationships beyond their contractual base to develop a more partnered response
to national priorities
• working with the Police, and the Ministries of Health and Education, to ensure
a co-ordinated government response to the needs of children, young people and
their families.
13
Working together allows us the opportunity to unlock
a differential range of responses to meet the diverse
needs of vulnerable young people and their families.
14
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
develop a culture
of high performance in discharging our
statutory responsibilities
by:
• creating a performance environment that provides transparency in our efforts
to improve outcomes for children and young people, and that reports effectively
against our bottom-line organisational expectations
• encouraging every leader and manager in Child, Youth and Family to benchmark
their performance against our highest achievers, learn from them, and help their
teams reach the same level of success
• recognising effort and achievement, and celebrating the successes we have with
the children and young people in our care and the families we work alongside.
15
actively
lead communication with clients, staff
and stakeholders
by
• putting in place capability at both regional and National Office level to lift our
performance in communicating with internal and external audiences
• maximising the potential of our Community Liaison Social Workers to improve
public awareness about child welfare issues
• introducing a relationship management approach with our stakeholders that
ensures their expectations, views and experiences are reflected in the way we
do things
• delivering Need 2 Know weekly as our primary internal communications about
key operational information.
16
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
further develop
our technology systems to create service
solutions for social workers
by:
• lifting CYRAS – our primary platform for recording, monitoring and managing
information about children and young people – to the next level of functionality
so that social workers feel better supported in the work they do
• delivering our Information Management System to provide critical data that will
support even better decision making by our staff and managers. Improving
information about children in our care will be the first major deliverable from this
work programme.
support the
development of a professional workforce
by:
• continuing to increase the level of the qualifications held by our social workers,
in recognition of the important role they play in our communities as trusted
advisors, advocates and practitioners
• setting a goal to have all social workers either registered or working towards
this standard.
17
18
LEADING FOR OUTCOMES
strive to improve
life outcomes for the
disabled children we
work with
by:
• focussing attention on children and young
people with special needs to ensure they
receive the right support and services
• delivering a joint work programme with the
Ministry of Health in response to the Best of
Care Report and the Permanency Review to
support better outcomes.
19
We will know we are making a
difference when we begin to impact
these key outcomes for children
and young people...
Our Responsiveness Increases
All notifications of abuse or neglect are allocated for action within agreed
timeframes and investigation timelines are reduced to the minimum.
Abuse and Neglect Reduces
Substantiation of abuse or neglect for children we have worked with
previously reduces.
Permanency Increases
Permanent homes are found for more children, reducing the number of
children in our care. Emphasis will be placed on children under three and those
who have been in foster care for more than three years.
Youth Offending Reduces
Rates of re-offending are reduced among the young people we work with.
for the full pdf: http://www.cyf.govt.nz/documents/leading_for_outcomes.pdf