Kids in care

What’s best for children and young people is to be safe and cared for in their own families, so Child, Youth and Family worked with families to help them provide a safe and loving home for them. When it wasn’t safe for a child or young person to be cared for at home, Child, Youth and Family found other family members or caregivers for them to live with. Many of these children and young people would have returned home once things were sorted out, while others would have stayed permanently with their caregivers or extended family if the Family Court decided this was in the best interests of the child or young person.

Distinct children and young people in the custody of the Chief Executive

The information below gives a snapshot of the number of distinct children and young people in the custody of the Chief Executive, as at the end of the month shown (eg as at 30 June).

Distinct children and young people in out of home placements

The information below gives a snapshot of the number of distinct children and young people in out of home placements, by placement type, as at the end of the month shown (eg as at 30 June).

Note: Excludes placement types - 'Independent Living', 'Remain Home' and 'Return Home'.
1. Approved under s396 CYPF Act, and provided by Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).

Download the latest national and local level data

The file below provides further information in the past five years about:

• children and young people in custody of the Chief Executive
• children and young people in out of home placements
• approved caregivers
• admissions to Care and Protection residences and Youth Justice residences.

In addition to the national level information, where appropriate the information has been provided down to region, operational area, site or subsite, and by age and ethnicity.

Caregivers

Child, Youth and Family had around 3,500 approved caregivers, who were either family/whānau members or non-family/whānau. They were ordinary people who did an extraordinary job in providing love, care and support to the children who couldn't live with their own families. There were a variety of care options, including:

• Emergency care - when a child or young person was placed in care at short notice because there were serious concerns for their safety.
• Respite care - taking a child or young person in for a weekend or a short period of time, to give their parents or caregivers a break.
• Transitional or short-term care – taking a child or young person into care while Child, Youth and Family worked with their family to make decisions about what was best for the child or young person, and how to make sure they were safe and well cared for.
• Home for Life – when family/whānau or non-family/whānau caregivers made a lifelong commitment to a child or young person in their care by becoming permanent caregivers. The child or young person still maintained contact with their family of origin, but got a real sense of security and belonging as part of their Home for Life family.

Child, Youth and Family aimed for children and young persons to be with the people who were best for them, right from the start wherever possible. This meant looking firstly to family/whānau or people connected with the child or young person. Whether the caregivers are family/whānau or non-family/whānau, Child, Youth and Family needed to be confident that caregivers could provide a safe and loving environment for the child or young person placed in their care. For this reason, all Child, Youth and Family caregivers went through a check and assessment process, which included Police vetting and ongoing review.

Approved caregivers, by care type

The information below gives the number of caregivers, as at the end of the month shown (eg as at 30 June).

1. Non Family / Whānau caregivers include emergency approved caregivers.
2. Family / Whānau caregivers are only approved to care for specific children and young people.