The Strategy includes a Programme of Action, which sets out the policies, initiatives, programmes and plans to help achieve the vision and outcomes.
When launched in August 2019, the initial Programme of Action brought together more than 75 actions and 49 supporting actions led by 20 government agencies. These actions were backed by around $3.5 billion in funding to improve child wellbeing in Budget 2019.
The Programme of Action is a living document, and has since been updated to reflect progress and recent investments that support child wellbeing and poverty reduction, including Budget 2020-22 initiatives and those included in the Government response to COVID-19.
The Programme of Action will continue to be updated intermittently, as existing actions are progressed and new actions are developed to address gaps as well as new areas of focus.
The Government will deliver on and add to these actions over the next 1–5 years.
Available formats and related files
Introduction#
This Programme of Action sets out the actions - policies, initiatives, programmes and plans - the Government will implement to help achieve the vision and outcomes of the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy (the Strategy). It should be read alongside the Strategy as it is aligned to the Strategy's framework.
(NB: This is the Programme of Action in its entirety. The Explore Actions webpage allows you to filter the Programme of Action items by outcome, lead agency or current status)
The Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy Framework #
The framework provides a shared understanding of what children and young people want and need for good wellbeing. It sets out what we can all do to support them to have good lives.
The framework is made up of a vision, six wellbeing outcomes, principles to guide the ongoing development and implementation of the Strategy, and indicators that measure whether we are making a difference. Anyone can adopt this framework. Some local authorities and community agencies are already interested in applying the framework to their planning and service delivery for children and young people.
The Programme of Action#
Alongside the Strategy, a Programme of Action was launched on 29 August 2019. It is organised into the six outcomes of the framework, and there are focus areas and actions under each outcome. Just as the outcomes are interconnected, so too are the actions. While categorised under a single outcome, they will often achieve progress across several or all outcomes.
The Programme of Action (POA) sets out the policies, initiatives, programmes and plans underway across government toward achieving the Strategy’s vision and outcomes. When launched, the programme brought together actions from across more than 20 government agencies, with Chief Executives being accountable for their agency’s actions.
The POA is intended to be a living document that is updated as existing actions are completed, and new actions are developed to address gaps and new areas of focus for child and youth wellbeing.
The Government has given priority to actions that will:
- reduce child poverty and mitigate the impacts of poverty and socio-economic disadvantage
- better support children and young people of interest to Oranga Tamariki and address family and sexual violence
- better support children and young people with greater needs, with an initial focus on learning support and mental wellbeing
As well as identifying significant actions for these priority areas, the Programme of Action also identifies other actions across all areas of child and youth wellbeing.
Since its launch, the POA has continued to evolve in response to new and emerging needs, particularly those relating to the extensive disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Driving government policy in a unified and holistic way#
A key purpose of the Strategy is to drive government policy in a unified and holistic way. Collective Ministerial and agency action is needed to deliver the actions and achieve the Strategy's outcomes. Central government agencies are expected to progressively align their activities to the outcomes in the Strategy, as reflected in their Statements of Intent, business planning documents and funding decisions.
Families, whānau, hapū, iwi, community groups, non-government organisations, the philanthropic sector, business and local government also have important roles to improve child and youth wellbeing. These groups may want to develop their own plans or programmes using the Strategy's framework. Further information and resources are available at childyouthwellbeing.govt.nz
Reporting on progress#
The third Monitoring Report, outlining progress in implementing the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy was released on 22 June 2022. It details key activity carried out in 2021 (Jan - Dec) to bring the Strategy into effect; that is, how agencies and non-government organisations are aligning to the Strategy framework, and the progress of the particular policies and initiatives underway across government to help achieve the Strategy’s vision and outcomes.
Read the Monitoring Report for the period Jan-Dec 2021
Read the Monitoring Report for the period July-December 2020
Read the Monitoring Report for the year ended June 2020
Children and young people are loved, safe and nurtured#
This means:
- they feel loved and supported
- they have family, whānau and homes that are loving, safe and nurturing
- they are safe from unintentional harm
- they are safe from intentional harm (including neglect, and emotional, physical and sexual abuse)
- they are able to spend quality time with their parents, family and whānau.
Focus areas and key actions
The Government's priority for this outcome is to help ensure children and young people at greatest risk - those experiencing abuse or neglect, or those exposed to family or sexual violence - are loved, safe and nurtured. Actions are grouped in the following focus areas:
- Support parents, caregivers, families and whānau
- Prevent harm and abuse
- Support victims and their families and whānau
- Improve the quality of State care.
More details on the Government's actions under this outcome are provided below.
Support parents, caregivers, families and whānau#
Prevent harm and abuse#
Support victims and their families and whānau#
Improve the quality of State care#
Children and young people have what they need#
This means:
- they and their parents/caregivers have a good standard of material wellbeing
- they have regular access to nutritious food
- they live in stable housing that is affordable, warm and dry
- their parents/caregivers have the skills and support they need to access quality employment.
Focus areas and key actions
The Government's focus for this outcome is on reducing child poverty by improving the material wellbeing of households living in poverty and hardship. This focus has the potential to break the cycle of disadvantage and intergenerational poverty as well as affect many other wellbeing outcomes. Government passed the Child Poverty Reduction Act 2018 which requires the government of the day to set targets on a set of child poverty measures and to report against these. Actions are grouped in the following focus areas.
- Improve earnings and employment
- Create a fairer and more equitable welfare system
- Improve housing affordability, quality and security
- Help families with the cost of essentials
More details on the Government's policies and actions under this outcome are provided below.
Improve earnings and employment#
Create a fairer and more equitable welfare system#
Improve housing affordability, quality and security#
Help families with the costs of essentials#
Children and young people are happy and healthy#
This means:
- they have the best possible health, starting before birth
- they build self-esteem and resilience
- they have good mental wellbeing and recover from trauma
- they have spaces and opportunities to play and express themselves creatively
- they live in healthy and sustainable environments.
Focus areas and key actions
Government is prioritising work to improve mental wellbeing, along with work on the maternity system and support in the early years. Actions are grouped in the following focus areas.
- Redesign maternity and early years support
- Inspire active, healthy and creative children and young people
- Increase support for mental wellbeing.
More details on the Government's policies and actions under this outcome are provided below.
Redesign maternity and early years support#
Inspire active, healthy and creative children and young people#
Increase support for mental wellbeing#
Children and young people are learning and developing#
This means:
- they are positively engaged with, progressing and achieving in education
- they develop the social, emotional and communication skills they need as they progress through life
- they have the knowledge, skills and encouragement to achieve their potential and enable choices around further education, volunteering, employment and entrepreneurship
- they can successfully navigate life's transitions.
Focus areas and key actions
Government has launched a programme of review across the education sector - early learning (including home-based), compulsory schooling, learning support and tertiary education - to improve equity and ensure no-one misses out. An immediate priority is children and young people who need extra support in the education system. Actions are grouped in the following focus areas.
- Improve quality in education
- Increase equity of educational outcomes
- Support life transitions.
More details on the Government's policies and actions under this outcome are provided below.
Improve quality in education#
Increase equity of educational outcomes#
Support life transitions#
Children and young people are accepted, respected and connected#
This means:
- they feel accepted, respected and valued at home, school, in the community and online
- they feel manaakitanga: kindness, respect and care for others
- they live free from racism and discrimination
- they have stable and healthy relationships
- they are connected to their culture, language, beliefs and identity, including whakapapa and tūrangawaewae (place of belonging).
Focus areas and key actions:
- Address racism and discrimination
- Increase a sense of belonging and cultural connections
- Encourage positive and respectful peer relationships.
More details on the Government's policies and actions under this outcome are provided below.
Address racism and discrimination#
Increase sense of belonging and cultural connections#
Promote positive and respectful peer relationships#
Children and young people are involved and empowered#
This means:
- they contribute positively at home, at school and in their communities
- they exercise kaitiakitanga: connection and care of the land and nature
- they have their voices, perspectives and opinions listened to and taken into account
- they are supported to increase autonomy as they age and to be responsible citizens
- they and their families are supported to make healthy and informed choices around relationships, sexual health, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
Focus areas and key actions
- Increase child and youth voice and participation
- Advocate for children and young people's rights
- Encourage positive choices and contributions.
Increase child and youth voice and participation#
Advocate for children and young people's rights#
Encourage positive choices and contributions#
Next steps#
The Programme of Action focuses on issues that will have significant impact on improving child and youth wellbeing. It has been updated to reflect progress and recent investments that support child wellbeing and poverty reduction, including Budget 2020 initiatives and those included in the Government response to COVID-19.
The Programme of Action is a living document that will be updated intermittently, as new actions are developed to address gaps as well as new areas of focus.
The accompanying Strategy sets a long-term direction to unify efforts across government and society to improve child and youth wellbeing. It makes headway on addressing complex problems, consistent with what New Zealanders identified as important during engagement. A single strategy and programme of action cannot solve the challenges of child and youth wellbeing all at once. Government will undertake ongoing outreach and engagement as work under the Strategy proceeds.
The Strategy itself will be reviewed at least every three years (as required by the Children's Act 2014) following further public consultation, including consultation with children, the Children's Commissioner, the Minister for Māori Development, and Māori.