NZ Accepts All Poutasi Review Recommendations to Strengthen Child Protection

The New Zealand Government has announced a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s child protection framework, formally accepting all 14 recommendations from the Dame Karen Poutasi Review. The move marks a decisive step toward creating a more cohesive and responsive system aimed at safeguarding children from harm.

The announcement was made by Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston, who described the Government’s decision as a “clear line that child safety comes first.” She emphasized that the reforms will reinforce accountability across agencies, ensure better coordination, and guarantee that vulnerable children receive the protection and care they deserve.

“Every child in New Zealand deserves to feel safe and secure,” Upston said. “The level of child abuse in New Zealand is unacceptable, and the system to prevent it has been too complicated. We must do better for all our children.”

Background: The Poutasi Review

Commissioned in 2022, the Dame Karen Poutasi Review examined systemic failures and inter-agency coordination gaps within the existing child protection system. It provided 14 recommendations aimed at streamlining processes, improving data sharing, and ensuring that agencies respond quickly and effectively to signs of child harm.

Until now, not all of those recommendations had been accepted, leaving inconsistencies in how the system operated across different government agencies. The new Government’s full acceptance of the recommendations signals a unified, cross-departmental approach to child safety and welfare.

A System-Wide Commitment to Child Safety

An integrated Government response will now be implemented under the joint oversight of Child and Youth Ministers. The approach focuses on:

• Strengthening information sharing: Ensuring all agencies adopt a consistent approach to identifying and reporting suspected abuse. The Privacy Commissioner will work alongside departments to balance confidentiality with child safety imperatives.

• Protecting children of incarcerated parents: Special focus will be given to children whose sole parent is remanded or serving a prison sentence, ensuring they remain visible within the system and receive necessary support.

• Mandatory reporting regime: Work will begin on the design of a new mandatory reporting system, supported by mandatory training for professionals working with children. This will help frontline workers clearly identify and act upon signs of abuse.

Phased Implementation for Long-Term Change

Cabinet has approved a staged approach to ensure the reforms are implemented effectively and sustainably. This includes completing two recommendations already underway, advancing others, and initiating comprehensive policy analysis and service design to guide the next stages.

Minister Upston explained that the first phase will focus on building capacity within the system:

“We will begin with mandatory training for designated workforces to ensure people working in the system clearly know how to identify and report child abuse while sequencing further action to build system capacity.”

Accountability and Oversight

The Government has also endorsed the role of the Independent Children’s Monitor, which will oversee and report on the implementation of the recommendations to ensure transparency and accountability.

Upston stressed that while many children’s workers already treat child safety as a top priority, the new measures are designed to strengthen the existing framework with additional “overlapping safety nets” so that no child falls through the cracks.

“This is about adding levers and creating overlapping safety nets to ensure no child is invisible when help is needed,” she said.

A Collaborative Future

The reforms will rely heavily on collaboration among government agencies, iwi and Māori organisations, schools, community services, and families. The goal is to build a more integrated, culturally aware system that responds swiftly to the needs of children and families in crisis.

Cabinet will revisit the progress of these initiatives and consider further decisions before the end of 2025, marking what many observers describe as one of the most significant child protection reform efforts in recent years.

By accepting all the Poutasi Review’s recommendations, the Government has set in motion a comprehensive plan to ensure that New Zealand’s children are safer, more visible, and better supported—a move that aims to restore trust and effectiveness within the country’s child welfare system.