Ministry of Social Development (New Zealand)

Ministry of Social Development
Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora

Agency overview
Formed	2001
Jurisdiction	New Zealand
Headquarters	Bowen State Bldg, Bowen St, Wellington WELLINGTON 6140
Annual budget	Vote Social Development Total budget for 2015/16 $24,138,091,000[1]
Ministers responsible	Hon Anne Tolley, Minister for Social Development Hon Jo Goodhew, Associate Minister for Social Development
Agency executive	Brendan Boyle, Chief Executive
Website	msd.govt.nz

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) (Māori: Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the government on social policy, and providing social services.

MSD is the largest public service department employing public servants in over 200 locations around New Zealand. It works closely with other public service departments and agencies, non-government organisations, advisory and industry groups, and communities and iwi. MSD delivers its programmes and services through a number of business groups and agencies.^[2]

Functions

Services

The Ministry of Social Development provides:

• care and protection of vulnerable children and young people
• employment, income support and superannuation services
• funding to community service providers
• social policy and advice to government
• student allowances and loans.

Community Link

Community Links are centres where people, their families and communities can access a range of [social] services from the Ministry of Social Development and other organisations and community agencies.^[3]

Heartland Services

Heartland Services is a government funded interagency initiative which provides people in provincial and rural New Zealand with access to Government services.^[4] Some Service Centres are based in existing government premises while others are in stand-alone Heartland Service Centres.^[5]

Work and Income

Work and Income provides financial assistance and employment services throughout New Zealand. They offer a single point of contact for New Zealanders needing job search support, financial assistance and in-work support.^[6]

StudyLink

StudyLink provides information about student finances and other study-related issues, and provides financial support to students. Their services are provided through their website, a centralised contact centre and a number of offices around the country.^[7]

Families and Community Services

Family and Community Services' focus is the delivery of early intervention and prevention services and programmes for families, and activities that strengthen the people and organisations working in communities that support them. They:

• fund, provide, lead and co-ordinate government and community support services for families and communities.^[8]
• provide the Family Services Directory which allows people to search for family and community services within New Zealand.^[9]
• administer Heartland Services which provides people in provincial and rural New Zealand with access to Government services.^[10]

Child, Youth and Family

Child, Youth and Family provides the statutory care and protection of children and young people, youth justice services, adoption services and funding to community service providers.^[11]

Students, Seniors and Integrity Services

Students, Seniors and Integrity Services:

• provides information about student finances and other study-related issues and provides financial support to students through StudyLink
• provides services to older people including pensions
• administers the SuperGold Card
• oversees the integrity of the Benefit system.^[12]

Centre for Social Research and Evaluation (CSRE)

CSRE creates strong evidence based knowledge which supports social development policy and service delivery across government agencies. CSRE engages in research, evaluation and data analysis to help provide a deeper understanding of the social sector. It also publishes information and reports on social issues and trends on the Ministry of Social Development website.^[12]

Social services policy

Social services policy provides social sector policy advice concerning children and families, young people, working age people, and older people. The Ministry of Youth Development also sits within Social Services.^[13]

Administered agencies

A number of other agencies are administered the Ministry of Social Development. They are generally responsible to a separate Minister.

Ministry of Youth Development

The Ministry of Youth Development encourages and assists young people to be involved in the social, educational, economic and cultural development of New Zealand, both locally and nationally.

The Ministry has five key functions:

• providing young people with a central point of contact within government so they can express their views and interests
• providing government with advice on how to improve outcomes for young people
• working with government agencies, local government and communities to deliver positive youth development opportunities
• funding services for young people in local communities
• building and sharing an evidence-base about youth development in New Zealand.^[14]

The Office for Disability Issues

The Office for Disability Issues promotes and monitors the New Zealand Disability Strategy; provides policy advice on issues affecting people with disabilities; and provides services to the Minister for Disability Issues.^[13]

The Office for Senior Citizens

The Office for Senior Citizens provides policy advice on issues affecting older people; promotes and monitors the Positive Ageing Strategy; and provides services to the Minister for Senior Citizens.^[13]

Organisational history

1904 - Old Age Pensions Department established.

1909-1912 - Pensions administered as a division of the Post and Telegraph Department.

1913 - Pensions Department established.

1 April 1939 - Social Security Department under the control of Social Security Commission was established by the Social Security Act, 1938. It replaced the former Pensions Department and absorbed the major portion of the Employment Division of the Department of Labour.

1 April 1972 - Department of Social Welfare formed from the amalgamation of the Social Security Department and the Child Welfare Division of the Department of Education.

1 May 1992 - Major restructuring of the Department of Social Welfare into business units:

• New Zealand Income Support Service
• New Zealand Children and Young Persons Service
• New Zealand Community Funding Agency
• Social Policy Agency
• Corporate Office

December 1998 - Housing policy function of the Ministry of Housing transferred to the Social Policy Agency of the Department of Social Welfare.

1 October 1998 - Department of Work and Income (branded as Work and Income New Zealand or WINZ) established with the merger of Income Support with the New Zealand Employment Service, Community Employment Group and Local Employment Co-ordination.

1 October 1999 - Ministry of Social Policy established, with the amalgamation of the Social Policy Agency and Corporate Office functions of the former Department of Social Welfare and the addition of the new Purchasing and Monitoring Group.

1 October 1999 - Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) established. Was previously Children, Young Persons and their Families Agency (CYPFA).

1 July 2001 - Housing Policy function of the Ministry of Social Policy moves to Housing New Zealand Corporation.

1 October 2001 - Ministry of Social Development established with the amalgamation of the Ministry of Social Policy and the Department of Work and Income.

1 July 2006 - Child, Youth and Family becomes a service line of the Ministry of Social Development. ^{[15] [16]}

Ministers

The Ministry serves 6 portfolios and 7 ministers.^[17]

See also

• Social welfare in New Zealand

References

External links

• Ministry of Social Development
• StudyLink
• Child, Youth and Family
• Work and Income
• Family and Community Services
• Heartland Services
• SuperGold Card
• Ministry of Youth Development website
• Information about Community Link from the Work and Income website