Mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people involved with Oranga Tamariki

News article

05 April 2023

Oranga Tamariki today published a report on the mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people involved with Oranga Tamariki and how the system is currently working.

This was published alongside a cross-agency response to improve mental wellbeing support for these children and young people and their families and whānau.

The report - Mental health and wellbeing needs assessment - identifies that although children and young people involved with Oranga Tamariki have higher mental health and wellbeing needs, they still face significant barriers and service gaps when getting enough of the right kinds of support, at the right times in their lives.

The Mental health and wellbeing cross-agency response sets out the actions underway or planned to respond to the issues raised in the report and improve services and support. Developed jointly by Manatū Hauora, Te Whatu Ora and Oranga Tamariki, this plan outlines 19 actions to ensure that children and young people with the greatest needs get the help they need as early as possible.

The in-depth needs assessment reports are requirements within the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan.

This cross-agency work supports the Government’s long-term pathway to mental wellbeing – Kia Manawanui Aotearoa – which calls on us to work collectively across government to ensure we get the foundations right for mental wellbeing.


About the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan

The Oranga Tamariki Action Plan is a commitment from government agencies to collaborate and deliver better outcomes for children and young people in Aotearoa with the greatest needs.

The Action Plan will enable a different experience for these children, young people, their families and whānau when working with agencies, as well as the social workers and other front-line staff who support them.

As part of the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan, Oranga Tamariki is leading a series of in-depth assessments in the areas of mental health, education and housing needs to identify un-met needs and set direction to improve services for children and young people.

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