Under section 66 of the Oranga Tamariki 1989 Act include new provisions. These came into effect from July 1, 2019 and give child welfare and protection agencies the ability to request, collect, use, and share personal information for purposes related to the wellbeing and safety of Children.
The Family Violence Act 2018 and Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 allow information to be shared to keep children safe when abuse or suspected abuse is reported or investigated.
Under sections 15 and 16 of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, any person who believes that a child has been, or is likely to be, harmed physically, emotionally or sexually or ill-treated, abused, neglected or deprived may report the matter to Oranga Tamariki or the Police and, provided the report is made in good faith, no civil, criminal or disciplinary proceedings may be brought against them.
We have an obligation to ensure the wellbeing of children and are committed to the prevention of child abuse and neglect and to the protection of all children. The safety and wellbeing of the child(ren) is our top priority when investigating suspected or alleged abuse.
We support the roles of the New Zealand Police (the Police) and Oranga Tamaraki – Ministry of Vulnerable Children (“OT”) in the investigation of suspected abuse and will report suspected/alleged abuse to these agencies.
For more information please visit Oranga Tamariki website
