Child and family policy

Contents | Introduction | Why have a child and family policy? | Children and families in Auckland city | Getting your views | Guiding documents | Auckland City's role | Making things happen | Work progressed during 2005/06 | Child and family action plan 2006/07 | Appendix: Other relevant Auckland City policies

Work progressed during 2005/06

Since the child and family policy was adopted in August 2005, council officers have been looking at identifying partnership and advocacy opportunities, gaps in services and new initiatives. The council has made significant progress on achieving the aim, goals and objectives of the policy during 2005/06. Key projects included:

• the building and opening the Okahu Bay playground in June, which combines cultural, education and adventure elements and also has a liberty swing for disabled children
• completion of the school holiday programme funding review. It will move to a contestable fund from July 2007, to ensure that it is needs based and more equitable across the city
• developing tools and techniques for consulting with pre-school and primary school children in the Auckland Urban Living project, in conjunction with the University of Auckland
• organisational wide family week celebrations, promoting work/life balance and the child and family policy. Run by the Community and Social Policy Planner and council's internal EEO team
• first school 40-kilometer speed zone introduced at St Josephs School in Onehunga to make it safer for children to get to and from school and to raise awareness amongst motorists
• first Auckland City fully facilitated Enviroschool in St Thomas primary school in Kohimarama. Council's waste education officer is working with the school to make it environmentally sustainable
• performance by 180 year six students from Point Chevalier Primary school in the Art Gallery. The children developed original compositions in response to artworks in the gallery, in conjunction with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra
• a study was done on the historical use of council owned land currently being used as child care facilities. Where sites were identified as potentially contaminated they were tested and remedial work was undertaken where needed, with children being given free blood tests to ensure that their blood lead levels were safe
• opening and launch of the new child and family friendly space at the central library complete with an interactive floor - the first of its type in the country
• the Snug homes project launched in May, a collaborative three-year project with the ASB Trust, Starship Foundation, Mercury Energy, ProCare Network, the Auckland District Health Board and the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority (EECA). It retrofits and insulates the homes of low-income families at no cost to them, with priority given to households that have children with respiratory illnesses
• first walking kindy bus in the country was trialled at Mt Albert Kindergarten. Supported by Auckland City's road safety team, to create healthy and safe patterns from a young age
• identification of Mark Vinall, Group Manager Community Planning as the senior officer advocate within Council and Councillor Cathy Casey as the political child and family policy advocate.

Published August 2006