Social development Minister Anne Tolley has announced the establishment of an independent panel ” to lead a complete overhaul of Child Youth and Family (CYF)” and we are not talking a casual re-shuffling of chairs . The language in the press release indicates a serious review of how CYF works and aligns with the government’s focus on vulnerable children/families and the implementation of the Vulnerable Children’s Act and Whanau ora.

Modernizing Child Youth and Family is the new buzz word and the new panel has been charged with producing the Modernising CYF Business case to take to Minister Tolley by July 2015.  A seemingly tight timeline. All will be revealed in Budget 2016 when we will see the outcome of the review in action. Meanwhile check our page 8 of the Cabinet paper for a useful diagram of the before and after governance arrangements for the Modernising CYF programme. The Advisory Group which includes NGO providers seems to have been mislaid!