misson possible: placing children at the centre asthma society/ respiratory conference september,...
TRANSCRIPT
Misson Possible: Placing children at the centre
Asthma Society/ Respiratory Conference
September, 2013
What we’ll cover
The work of Every Child Counts
The big picture
Children’s voices
Everyone an advocate
Every Child Counts
Formed in 2004 Driven by Barnardos, Plunket, UNICEF, Save the
Children NZ, Mana Ririki Vision: A nation that values children and ensures
that every child in New Zealand is secure, healthy and happy
Mission: Advocating for the policy, practice and attitudes that enable children to thrive
Every Child Counts
Objectives: Children at the centre of policy and planning A good start in the early years Reducing child abuse and neglect Ending child poverty, and Increasing status of parenting/ caregiving.
The big picture
Low public investment and relative invisibility of children
Children are the population group most likely to be in poverty, with Māori and Pasifika over-represented
We spend 5 times as much on people in their last 2 years of life as we spend on children in their first 5 years of life
The big picture
OECD ranking – 28th out of 30 Rheumatic fever at 14 times the OECD
average 25 percent (270,000) in poverty and those
most likely to be in poverty are the youngest children (0-4 years)
About 160,000 children are considered vulnerable at any one time and there are around 21,000 confirmed cases of abuse and neglect every year
What do children say?
Families are the primary source of support for children, but government and community have a role
Children and young people want their parents to be well supported
Parents need to stop being angry
What do children say?
Parents need time to play with their kids Hunger is a significant issue: food in
schools and adequate family income are needed
“I think that you should maybe make better homes for kids.” (From consultations with children by Barnardos and Save the Children)
What do children say?
For every child a healthy home
Election focus: Housing, income, support for parents and
education Working with political parties – policies and
coalition negotiations Men speaking to the solutions #healthyhomesnz
Housing and respiratory health
The unsatisfactory physical state of housing as a main contributory factor to poor child health in New Zealand – cold, damp, unventilated, over-crowded
Overcrowding is an important risk factor for nine major types of disease and is estimated to cause more than 1300 hospital admissions each year
Of the 270,000 children in poverty, over 70 percent live in rental accommodation: 20 percent in state housing managed by Housing NZ and 50 percent in private rental accommodation
Everyone an advocate
Local government and DHB elections 2013
General Election 2014
Proverb
Nau te rou rou, naku te rou rou, ka ora ai te iwi.
If we all contribute our skills, expertise, passions, strengths, whatever we can offer, we will all flourish.
www.everychildcounts.org.nz