Listen to this policy:

Policy

Transition to adulthood — Advice and assistance

This policy provides key information to help ensure our advice and assistance meets the needs of eligible rangatahi and helps them move towards independence.

Last updated: 14/04/2023

Practice framework prompts for this policy

Our practice framework helps us make sense of and organise our practice so it is framed in te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), and draws from te ao Māori principles of oranga, within the context of our role in statutory child protection and youth justice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Ngākau whakairo

How do I uphold the rangatiratanga of the rangatahi when they are seeking advice and assistance?

Ngākau whakairo practice framework domain

Whai mātauranga

What knowledge will I draw on to make sure that the advice and assistance we provide considers the culture and identity of the rangatahi?

Whai mātauranga practice framework domain

Whai oranga

How will I make sure that our response to a request for advice and/or assistance considers all dimensions of the oranga of the rangatahi?

Whai oranga practice framework domain

Whai pūkenga

What communication skills am I using to help the rangatahi feel more confident to seek support and advice when they need it? How might I change my practice so it affirms their willingness to seek help?

Whai pūkenga practice framework domain

Whai ākona

How do my own culture, worldview, experiences and beliefs influence the type of advice and assistance I offer to rangatahi?

Whai ākona practice framework domain

Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to rangatahi who have left care or custody who are eligible to receive advice and assistance under the Transitions to Adulthood Service.

Rangatahi must:

be aged from 15 to 25 years old
have been in care for a continuous period of at least 3 months at any time from the age of 14 years and 9 months
have been, during that period:
- in a care or protection placement, and/or
- in a youth justice residential placement (including remand), and/or
- in Police custody (remand), and/or
- in a youth unit of a prison, and/or
- under a remand or prison sentence in the adult justice system before turning 18.

Note that this must have been in the care or custody of the chief executive, an iwi social service, a cultural social service, or in some cases the director of a child and family support service. Court wardship under the Care of Children Act 2004 is also included.

Eligible rangatahi are entitled to advice and assistance whether or not they:

have received support before they left care or custody, or a youth justice residential placement
are living with a caregiver as part of the entitlement to remain or return to live with a caregiver
are parents or expectant parents.

If there are care and protection concerns for the rangatahi (up to 18 years) or their tamaiti (including unborn), then a report of concern must be made. Advice and assistance can be provided at the same time as any safety concerns are addressed.

Eligibility tree (PDF 129 KB)

Eligibility tree – interactive (PDF 1.4 MB)

Advice and non-financial assistance

We must provide, or arrange for someone else to provide, advice and non-financial assistance to eligible rangatahi who request it to help them move towards independence.

Advice and non-financial assistance we provide to rangatahi must be based on information gathered during an assessment of need. It may include but is not limited to:

giving information
helping rangatahi find accommodation
helping rangatahi enrol in education or training
helping rangatahi to access specialist government or community services to meet their needs such as youth, employment, health, legal, cultural, counselling or financial services
supporting them as a parent or expectant parent, including identifying supports and entitlements available to them in their local community.

Advice and assistance when transitioning out of care

Financial assistance

We may provide financial assistance to eligible rangatahi who request advice or assistance. Financial assistance may be provided:

for anything we believe will support rangatahi to become or remain independent, including support for them if they are a parent or expectant parent
to meet their immediate needs in emergency or crisis situations if other sources of support are not available or cannot be accessed when needed.

Financial assistance we provide to rangatahi must be based on information gathered during an assessment of need. We must consider whether rangatahi have high or complex needs that should also be considered in the nature of advice and assistance that we may provide or facilitate other appropriate agencies to provide.

Financial assistance may include but is not limited to:

financial contributions or grants for education or training
short-term financial assistance to find or keep accommodation
contributions to buy medical items
contributions to meet immediate and urgent needs
funding for activities or programmes that help rangatahi to strengthen their cultural connections and identity, including the whakapapa and whanaungatanga responsibilities of their whānau, hapū and iwi.

Guidance to assist you when considering making financial contributions can be found in the financial assistance decision-making framework.

Guidance for using the TSS financial assistance decision-making framework

Requirement to access government and community options before providing financial assistance

We must make reasonable efforts to access services and support, including financial support, available to rangatahi through government and community sources before we provide financial assistance.

Financial assistance will usually be paid directly to rangatahi

Financial assistance provided under the Transitions to Adulthood Service must be paid directly to rangatahi unless:

there is a mutual agreement between rangatahi, Oranga Tamariki and any other people involved in the payment to do otherwise
it is not in the best interests of rangatahi to pay them directly
we have good reason to be concerned about the potential misuse of financial assistance if paid directly to rangatahi
it is a large sum of money and it would be safer to pay it directly to the recipient – for example, a payment for a training or education course.

If payment is not made directly to rangatahi, we must record our decision and justification on CYRAS.

Financial assistance to support living arrangements with a caregiver

Financial assistance to eligible rangatahi who are entitled to live with a caregiver under a Living Agreement Arrangement is covered in the policy 'Entitlement to remain or return to live with a caregiver'.

Policy: Transition to adulthood – Entitlement to remain or return to live with a caregiver

Financial assistance to support independent living

We may provide short-term funding to rangatahi to find and maintain suitable accommodation when other funding supports are not available.

Flexibility in financial assistance for education to support course completion

If we are making a contribution or grant for a course of education or training, or providing any other financial assistance that the rangatahi needs to complete the course, we may:

continue providing financial assistance after they turn 25 to enable them to complete the course
continue providing financial assistance after a period of non-attendance provided they resume as soon as they are reasonably able to.

Providing assistance in an emergency or crisis

We must provide assistance immediately when we become aware of the needs of an eligible rangatahi, including any of their tamariki, in an emergency or crisis situation.

The requirement that we access government and community options before providing financial assistance to rangatahi only applies if these options will meet their immediate needs.

The assistance we can provide in emergency or crisis situations includes but is not limited to:

emergency accommodation
food
transport
financial support.