Families have been neglected for too long and it is now time they were put first. We urgently need strong, sensible and supportive family policies.

National Centre for Research into the Family

To promote the status of the family and the role of parents To raise public awareness of family issues To ensure all policy development reflects the fundamental needs of families and their children. To carry out research into youth suicide with an emphasis on prevention To research and monitor the role of the family To report annually to Parliament on the position of families in New Zealand To be a filter through which all legislation is passed

Co-ordination of Government Departments

To monitor and report on the effects of all government polices and legislation upon families. To improve accessibility and coherence in the early childhood sector, Plunket, PAFT, Public Health, Kohunga Reo, pre-school and primary schools to allow for early identification of learning health and social problems. To review inter agency protocols for the reporting of child abuse and neglect. To report on national and local levels of compliance of all agency protocols that impact upon the family specifically protocols with general practitioners, hospital medical and specialist staff, midwives, Well Child providers and the education sector.

Family Support Agency

To provide a family mediation service to support, promote and develop the provision of marriage and relationship counselling services. To facilitate family support and parental education programmes. To introduce a more streamlined approach for the funding of family voluntary and community organisations. To ensure that comprehensive services appropriate to that family’s culture are available to their children. In line with the principals of the Treaty of Waitangi, fund ‘by Maori for Maori’ parental education programmes. To provide increased funding and intervention for at risk children