Green Paper puts priority on children.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is developing a Green Paper to kick off a national conversation on how we value, nurture and protect children.

The Green Paper will focus on the needs of children and young people aged 0 to 18 years, with a special focus on under five-year olds.

It will contain a range of issues for New Zealanders to consider, for example:

• Information sharing to protect children
• Tracking at-risk children
• Greater use of schools after hours, for a range of activities
• Mandatory reporting of child abuse
• Whanau-first placements for children in state care

The Green Paper will be written by a multi-disciplinary team with input from key stakeholders and advised by a scientific and academic reference group.
For the full media release, please visit http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/green-paper-puts-priority-children