Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission

As we come to the end of Mental Health Awareness Week, Chief Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad shares her hope that we’ll continue this kaupapa far beyond the designated week. Here at Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People’s Commission, we’re also welcoming the first ever Child and Youth Mental Health and Addiction Prevalence Survey announced by the Government yesterday. We advocate for every single child and young person to grow up safe and well, and having good mental health support is an important part of this. This new survey will help us track how we can better address unmet need in mental health care. Read our media release about this: https://lnkd.in/gE9nCVGT

"It’s both shocking and encouraging that these diseases are entirely preventable. Shocking, because they simply shouldn’t be part of the experience of childhood here. Encouraging, because we know that with the right prevention efforts, these child health problems can be turned around. Our country can do so much better than this, and we must." Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad spoke at the launch of the latest Cure Kids 'State of Child Health' report at Parliament last week. This report uses hospital data to spotlight a growing depth of need in child health, and clearly shows that Māori and Pacific children, and those living in areas with greatest socioeconomic deprivation, are disproportionately affected by poor health. When we cross-reference this data to official child poverty figures, the overlap is stark and reinforces Dr Achmad's calls for a renewed focus on ending child poverty. Ngā mihi nui - thank you to the Cure Kids team, including CEO Frances Soutter and Professor Stuart Dalziel (pictured here), and everyone whose expertise and dedication helps to shine a light on this important kaupapa every year. Read Dr Achmad's piece 'Poor health outcomes for children are entirely preventable': tinyurl.com/32db7mc4 Listen to this morning's interview on Waatea News: tinyurl.com/mrxyr6b6

Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad marked World Suicide Prevention Day at an event at Parliament hosted by Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey this morning. It's wonderful to see cross-party support for the incredibly important kaupapa that is suicide prevention in Aotearoa New Zealand, and a focus on supporting wellbeing from an early age to keep mokopuna well and strong. Ngā mihi, Le Va Pasifika for sharing this photo.

"'Child Poverty in New Zealand' is a detailed report with lots of graphs and numbers. It didn’t make much of a splash this year. But it should have... "Crucially, the report makes clear the impact that Government decision-making has had on child poverty rates over time. What stood out to me, looking at the data over time, is that Government decisions and policies, at some key points in time, have improved the lives of families and children’s day-to-day experiences. It’s an important reminder that as a country, we have reduced poverty affecting children before. This is somewhat reassuring, as it shows that we can do it again, by making policy choices and decisions that focus on poverty reduction." Last week’s report from MSD shows we have made progress on child poverty before. In this op-ed for The Post, Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad says we can do it again, if we want to enough: https://lnkd.in/gFm4Sw9z You can also read this piece on our site: tinyurl.com/msncwz8p

Ngā mihi Jaden for this post, and please know that all of us here at Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission, including our Chief Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad, are so grateful for the opportunities to work together with you, your team at I.Lead and other children and young people in our advocacy mahi!

“Malachi wasn’t seen at a time when he most needed to be seen. This review concludes that mokopuna are no safer now than when Malachi died, and that is extremely concerning.” A new review released yesterday from Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children's Monitor shows that very little progress has been made since the tragic death of Malachi Subecz and the Poutasi report that recommended a system change in response. Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad and Aroturuki Tamariki CE Arran Jones sat down with John Campbell for an in-depth interview for TVNZ+ and expressed their deep concern that safety nets for the children who most need them are still not in place in Aotearoa New Zealand. Find the full article: https://lnkd.in/gpdNHZX2 Watch the in-depth interview: https://lnkd.in/g9nTmpf2

"Section 7AA is a critical step towards recognising and reducing the ongoing harms of colonisation and systemic racism that affect mokopuna Māori within the child protection system. A repeal now risks progress made, and would take our state care and protection system backwards." We snapped this photo quickly as Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad went into the Select Committee room with its beautiful carved door to deliver our submission on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of 7AA) Amendment Bill today. You can watch and listen to Claire's kōrero: https://lnkd.in/gBdbW8Es Download our full submission: https://lnkd.in/guMKbFpT

"I'm disappointed to see these targets going in the wrong direction. It signals a lack of ambition from our Government when it comes to children." The Government's new child poverty reduction targets equate to accepting around 24,000 more children living in material hardship. This means they're in homes that cannot afford at least six of the 17 items regarded as essential – things like having fresh fruit and vegetables, warm clothes and shoes, and doctor’s visits. Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad spoke to Jenna Lynch for this story on 3News this evening, expressing her disappointment and highlighting the fact that worsening child poverty is not inevitable, it's a political choice. Watch it again here:

Today was an important day in Aotearoa New Zealand, a day that has been a long time coming, as the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions' landmark report 'Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light' was tabled in Parliament. Chief Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad says the decades of abuse and pain experienced by children and young people while in the care of the State and faith-based institutions is a national shame, and that this report must galvanise action that leads to real change. Find our full statement: https://lnkd.in/gxQM4VKb

"Evidence does matter when it comes to our country's children. Let’s invest in addressing poverty, poor health, education and housing in the lives of our children. Let’s ensure that our state safety net – our child protection system, including the community and iwi social services that are part of it – is well resourced and not subject to funding cuts and uncertainty." 📰 Read Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad's piece on Stuff and in newspapers over the weekend: https://lnkd.in/gmfC3DfM 📷: David Unwin, Stuff