oranga tamariki & youth service
supporting young people who are oranga tamariki care or custody
what is the transition support service?
The Transition Support Service supports taiohi when they are leaving care or a Youth Justice residential placement. They create a transition plan and help implement it. They also stay in contact with the taiohi until the taiohi turns 25.
When a young person is in Oranga Tamariki care and Youth Service at the same time, there is some overlap. By working together, you can get better outcomes for the young person.
who can get transition support?
Taiohi are eligible if they have been in care or custody for a continuous period of 3 months after the age of 14 years and 9 months.
They can choose to:
- have a transition worker to support them to get a good start to their adult lives up to the age of 21
- stay living with, or return to live with a caregiver, if that’s what they both want, between 18 and 21 years of age
- get support, advice and assistance from the Transition Support Helpline up to the age of 25.
can taiohi be with transition support and youth service at the same time?
YP and YPP
Yes, if they're eligible for both services. The ideal scenario is for the youth coach and the transition worker to be in contact with each other and work together with the young person, but the transition worker will continue to be responsible for the ongoing care of the young person.
NEET
No. They can only be receiving one of the services.
Visit the Transition Support Service section on the Oranga Tamariki website for more information.
what happens when a young person in oranga tamariki care is referred to you?
You will see a flag in a young person's ART record if they're in Oranga Tamariki care when they are referred to you.
You have to contact the young person's social worker, transition worker or Youth Justice coordinator before you can contact the young person and organise a meeting with everyone.
Contact Oranga Tamariki to get in touch with the social worker, transition worker or Youth Justice coordinator:
- Phone 0800 55 89 89
- Email transitionsupport@ot.govt.nz with ‘Youth Service’ in the subject line.
when a social worker refers a young person to you
Oranga Tamariki create a young person's transition plan when they're aged between 15 to 18. If the young person doesn't want transition support and is not already in the NEET service, the social worker will talk to them about enrolling with NEET.
If the young person wants to be in NEET, the social worker will contact you directly to discuss the referral and share relevant information.
when a youth justice coordinator refers a young person to you
When a young person in Oranga Tamariki Youth Justice is referred to you, a Youth Justice coordinator or social worker may invite you to meet with them and the young person.
Treat Youth Justice client NEET referrals as 'manual referrals' in ART
If you choose to work with a young person in Youth Justice, treat the referral as manual. This just means you need to check ART before you create a record for the young person, in case they already have a record in there. If so, update the existing record. Don't create a new one or there'll be a duplicate.
Note: If the young person applies for YP or YPP, the referral will come through ART as an automatic referral. If their application is declined, they may still be eligible for NEET. YSSU will let you know if this is the case.
For more on Youth Justice please refer to the Oranga Tamariki website.
when a young person in youth service is referred to youth justice
If a young person is already involved with your service and they are referred to Oranga Tamariki Youth Justice because of offending, the Youth Justice coordinator will contact you and discuss how the young person’s current obligations and activities can be incorporated in their Youth Justice plan.
The Youth Justice coordinator or social worker will continue to keep in contact with you while the young person completes their Youth Justice intervention.
Your main role is to support the young person to be in education, training, work-based learning or a sustainable job and support their wellbeing.
You also need to:
- help implement the Youth Service plan
- work with the social worker or transition worker to make sure the YS and OT plans align
- make sure the young person is getting their full entitlements from Ministry of Social Development and Oranga Tamariki
- help the young person access extra financial support when they need it.
Make sure the Youth Service plan aligns with the transition plan
Talk with the young person and their social Worker or transition worker when they review the transition plan so you can get a wider understanding of the young person’s goals and needs - that way you can make sure that the young person's Youth Service plan also includes the requirements for transitional care.
You can contact transition support if you need extra help
If you or the young person needs extra support, contact the transition worker to see if there's anything they can do to help. You also need to let the social worker or transition worker know if the young person decides at any time that they don't want to participate in either service.
The transition worker helps prepare the young person to become a young adult and stays in contact with them until they turn 21. They are the taiohi's key support person once they leave care, but they also work alongside the social worker and other agencies.
The transition worker will:
- help implement the young person's transition plan
- work with other agencies/services that have a role in the young person’s life, ensuring everyone is aware of their roles and responsibilities, and that this makes sense to the young person.
- inform and support the young person to access their full entitlements from Oranga Tamariki and universal services and facilitate access to financial support when required.
- continue to provide proactive support and assistance, including assessment, planning and review where relevant.
- provide appropriate information to clients, professionals, colleagues and others in order to maximise good decision-making processes.
Note: Transition plans should include any requirements for participation in the Youth Service, where possible.
While a young person is under Oranga Tamariki care orders, their social worker has primary responsibility for the young person's care. This means that Oranga Tamariki is responsible for the young person's accommodation, living expenses, safety and health.
If a young person needs financial assistance for any of these things, you should first try to contact their transition worker or social worker to see if Oranga Tamariki can help before you use MSD options that may incur a debt for the young person.
Transitions will provide financial assistance that is not covered by Youth Service or any other sort of funding to help with:
- everyday needs
- emergency needs
- support towards adulthood.
Oranga Tamariki also provides a $1500 discharge grant to a young person, when they leave care, to help pay for essential items.
Helping a young person find accommodation
- If the young person wishes to stay with or return to a caregiver after they turn 18, and if they are eligible, Oranga Tamariki will top up the board payment.
- If the young person has nowhere to stay and has a transition worker and a youth coach, it is a shared responsibility to work together to help them find accommodation.
Do Oranga Tamariki payments affect YP/YPP entitlements?
Some young people may be receiving board top-up payments or a transition advice and assistance payment from Oranga Tamariki.
These payments are exempt from income under the Social Security Act 2018. They are not exempt from the cash asset tests that apply under the Act.