Taking care of our children Every child deserves the love, protection, and support of their family and their community. That should be a given – something we all know, understand, and observe. The best way to achieve this is to help support families into financial independence. This is why National is working towards reducing the number of people dependent on benefits by 25% by 2017. Families that are supported by work generally do better. There are now 30,000 fewer children living in benefit-dependent homes compared to two years ago. But along side this National is supporting families with money management. It can be especially tough for people on low incomes, and budgeting services play a vital role helping people get the right skills so they can save for the things that matter and gain financial independence. This is why the National Government increased funding for budgeting services, like Cambridge Community Agencies Network Trust, Putaruru Community Budgeting Service, Tokoroa Budget Advisory Service and Taupo Budget Advisory Services, by $22 million. Another way National are helping families on low incomes is by supporting children under 13 will be able to see a doctor for free, any time of the day or night, and get their prescriptions free as well from 1 July 2015. This is an important preventative health measure, as parents will be more likely to take their child to the doctor for treatment before their condition becomes severe. As well as supporting them financially. We also passed the Vulnerable Children Act. The new law introduces new vetting and screening checks for government and community agency staff working with children including banning people with serious convictions from working in core children workforce roles. The legislation switches the onus on parents who have killed or severely abused or neglected a child. They will now have to prove they are safe to parent subsequent children. It confers responsibility on the heads of five government departments, holding them directly accountable for improving the lives of vulnerable children. The Ministries of Health, Education, Social Development, Justice and Police front line staff must now ensure that children identified as vulnerable get the services and support they need to thrive. The solution to child poverty is not just about treating the issues, but providing a hand up to families to lift themselves out of poverty.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 02:05:02 +0000
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