Last updated: 25/03/2025

Policy

Working with disabled tamariki who require a specialised out-of-home care arrangement

This policy outlines the ways to provide support for disabled tamariki with high and complex needs and may require a specialised out-of-home care arrangement.

Who this policy applies to

Tamariki and rangatahi who have high and complex disability needs and may require a specialised out-of-home care arrangement.

What is a specialised out-of-home placement

The needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi are high and complex, which requires caregivers or service providers to have disability expertise and, in some cases, environmental adaptations.

Tamariki and rangatahi with high and complex disability needs who come to our attention

Disabled tamariki and rangatahi have exactly the same rights to safety, protection, care, love and being supported to achieve to their full potential as non-disabled tamariki. Standards of care must be the same as for non-disabled tamariki and rangatahi.

If a tamaiti or rangatahi who has high and complex disability needs comes to our attention, we must:

ensure their immediate safety, if required
contact a regional disability advisor for advice
work with te tamaiti or rangatahi, their whānau or family, NASC and other agencies early to provide wrap-around supports to keep te tamaiti or rangatahi at home, if appropriate
ensure the experiences of te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family are positive and lead to good outcomes for te tamaiti or rangatahi.

Where you think a family group conference may be needed to provide assistance to address the oranga needs of disabled tamariki and rangatahi, consult with your regional disability advisor in the first instance.

If a specialised out-of-home care arrangement is being considered for te tamaiti or rangatahi with high and complex disability needs, we must ensure the pathway used to support their care arrangement is in the best interests of te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family. Consider less intrusive care arrangements before seeking any court order. Organising my Practice can be used to help deepen our udnerstanding of needs.

Organising my practice

Regional disability advisors will work with you to provide advice tailored to the individual needs of each tamaiti or rangatahi.

Practice when working with disabled people

Practice framework prompts for this policy

Our practice is framed in te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), based on a mana-enhancing paradigm for practice 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. Our practice framework helps us make sense of and organise our practice.

Ngākau whakairo

How will I ensure that the right to participate and express their views in decisions that affect them is upheld for disabled tamariki and rangatahi I work with?

Ngākau whakairo practice framework domain

Whai mātauranga

Who will I work in partnership with and whose knowledge, including cultural knowledge, will I draw on to ensure that the decisions about the care arrangements for te tamaiti or rangatahi are appropriate to realise oranga?

Whai mātauranga practice framework domain

Whai oranga

How do I understand from this tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family what oranga looks like for them?

Whai oranga practice framework domain

Whai pūkenga

How do I build relationships and connections with people in a way that is inclusive for those with disabilities? In what ways do I adapt my behaviour to ensure my relationship is respectful and upholds mana?

Whai pūkenga practice framework domain

Whai ākona

What have I learnt through my own encounters with people with disabilities? Do I make assumptions about the capabilities of disabled people, which prevents me from gaining a broader understanding of their strengths?

Whai ākona practice framework domain