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Page URL: https://practice.orangatamariki.govt.nz/core-practice/practice-tools/the-tuituia-framework-and-tools/completing-the-tuituia-report/
Printed: 26/04/2024
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Last updated: 01/07/2019

Completing the Tuituia report

The Tuituia report is the written record of an assessment at a single point in time.

Upcoming changes for this content

This content will be strengthened so it more completely reflects our commitment to practice framed by te Tiriti o Waitangi, based on a mana-enhancing paradigm for practice, and drawing from ​Te Ao Māori principles of oranga to support mana tamaiti, whakapapa and whanaungatanga. We each need to consider how we can apply these principles to our practice when reading this content. The following resources provide support:
Practice for working effectively with Māori
Our practice approach

What it is

The Tuituia report is the written record of an assessment. 

The report creates a snapshot of the Tuituia assessment, and files it as a locked record in CYRAS — this enables us to compare what's happening with te tamaiti at different points in time.

When to use it

The Tuituia report is used:

  • as the assessment summary when completing a child and family assessment or investigation
  • as a report to a family group conference or court
  • at other times when a social work assessment is required to support a social work decision, such as referral for a residential or high needs placement, referral for a Gateway assessment, review of a plan or case closure.

Policy: Assessment

Who uses it

The report is:

  • completed by the social worker for te tamaiti
  • approved by their supervisor.

How to use it

The CYRAS handbook has step-by-step information on how to create and build a report.

Staff resource: CYRAS handbook

Tailor the content of each report to the purpose of the assessment.

The report has 13 sections — these are a mix of free narrative and pre-populated information that comes from the Tuituia assessment recording tool or client details in CYRAS.

If a previous report exists for te tamaiti, some sections can be brought forward without needing to be rewritten if they still apply.

Sections of the report

1. This report is about

This section outlines who the report is about and the context and purpose of the report.

It pre-populates:

  • name
  • gender
  • age
  • date of birth
  • primary ethnicity and affiliation.

There are two free narrative sections:

  1. Add relevant information about the child or young person — where and with whom they are living, relevant legal orders or agreements that are in place, where they go to school etc.
  2. Write about the context and purpose of the report. For example: “This report summarises the social work assessment following a report of concern from the Plunket nurse on the 19 April 2013” or “This report summarises the social work assessment supporting the referral for a Family Group Conference”.

2. Why we are involved & what we are worried about

This section is pre-populated from the Why we are involved & What we are worried about summary section in the Tuituia assessment.

It outlines the reasons we are working with this tamaiti and relates to the danger/harm and risk statements sections in the consult.

It includes simple statements of:

The past harm

  • The adult behaviour that presents harm to the child or young person and the impact this is having on the child or young person’s safety and wellbeing, and/or
  • The child or young person’s behaviour that presents harm and the impact this is having on their own safety and wellbeing or the safety and wellbeing of others (such as the victim of an offence).

The current and potential harm

This is the risk statement written as “I am worried that_________” 

  • What we worried might happen if the adult behaviour does not change and the impact on the child or young person.
  • What we are worried might happen if the child or young person’s behaviour (including offending) does not change and the impact on them. 

3. Child or young person’s needs and strengths

This section is pre-populated with the current summary diagram, DRF for offending diagram (if relevant), and narrative from the Summary section in the Tuituia recording tool.

This narrative relates to and explains the Tuituia summary diagram, describing clearly the strengths that give an opportunity to improve the situation and outcomes for te tamaiti across the 5 outcome areas — safe, belong, healthy, achieving, participate. 

4. Child or young person’s hopes, dreams and wishes

This section is pre-populated with the Hopes, dreams & wishes subdomain in the Tuituia assessment.

  • Are they able to articulate their goals and aspirations?
  • Do they have a healthy positive outlook?
  • Do they have an adult in their life in whom they trust, and who supports their hopes and dreams?

5. Child or young person’s views

This section is free narrative only.

It is where we record the child or young person’s views about the assessment and any worries they have.

  • What does the child or young person themselves say about what is happening for them?
  • What are their worries?
  • Describe how you've shared your assessment with them.
  • Record what they think about the next steps.
  • Record the reasons if our decision differs from the child's views.

6. Kaitiaki Mokopuna needs and strengths

This section is pre-populated with the summary diagram and narrative from the Summary section in the Tuituia recording tool.

This section outlines the needs and strengths for the parents/caregivers caring for the child or young person. These relate to the risk statements and explain the Tuituia summary diagram, describing clearly the areas of concern and the strengths that give an opportunity to improve the situation and outcomes for te tamaiti across the five outcomes areas — safe, belong, healthy, achieving, participate. 

7. Whānau or family perspective

This section is free narrative only.

It outlines:

  • what the parents/caregivers say about what is happening
  • what the parents/caregivers want to achieve and what their goals for the future are
  • the views and perspectives of wider whānau or family members in relation to the danger/harm concerns.

Where there are differing views these are identified and recorded.

The narrative is brought forward to successive reports, once the report is approved. The social worker can then edit as required.

8. Cultural considerations

The section is pre-populated from the culture & beliefs subdomain in the mokopuna ora Tuituia assessment and the cultural connectedness subdomain in the kaitiaki mokopuna Tuituia assessment.

It's divided into sections headed with the name of te tamaiti and the kaitiaki mokopuna (parents/caregivers). It outlines the areas of particular cultural significance for te tamaiti and their whānau or family, including:

  • their preferred language
  • particular status
  • lineage
  • who holds whakapapa knowledge and relationships
  • how te tamaiti engages with their culture and customs, including sexual and gender identities, disabilities or other communities
  • how the whānau or family engage with their culture and customs.

9. Victim (of offending) view 

This section is free narrative only.

This section is displayed when the report relates to a youth justice case and records the response of the victim to the offending and how it has affected them. This section is not brought forward to successive reports.

10. Informant perspective

This section is free narrative only.

This section is displayed when the report relates to a youth justice case. A summary of the view of the informant (usually the Police who are party to the proceedings) is recorded here. This section is not brought forward to successive reports.

11. Engagement with other professionals

This section is free narrative only.

Outline how other professionals are working with te tamaiti and their whānau or family in relation to the danger/harm concerns. Include their views and recommendations.

12. What outcomes are we seeking to achieve and how do we get there

This section is free narrative only.

It provides the rationale for the decisions being made, including abuse findings.

Outline the outcomes being sought for te tamaiti, including:

  • the behaviour change we want to see, based on the risk statements
  • the goal and how we will know when it has been achieved
  • the best way to achieve the outcome being sought — referral to a community based service or other government agency, FGC, Family Whanau Agreement, Court order
  • for youth justice cases, what needs to happen to hold te tamaiti to account for their offending and address the underlying causes of that offending. 

13. Progress and next steps

This section is used when the report is written in the Intervention phase in CYRAS. This section is free narrative only.

It outlines the progress to date and what else needs to happen to address the risk statements and ensure enduring safety and wellbeing for te tamaiti.