2 JUNE 2015
Children’s Teams Expected to Work for Free
The government is treating non-government organisations (NGOs) as a source of free labour in working with vulnerable
children, says New Zealand First.
“National has bragged about new Children’s Teams created under the Vulnerable Children Act but NGO staff involved are
getting no extra money, yet are expected to do extra work on this new programme,” says Social Development Spokesperson
Darroch Ball.
“The government is trying get away with using the skills and expertise of NGO staff for free. Currently Children’s Teams
are being trialled with no expectation that they should be paid.
“Yet again National is undercutting social service providers. The Productivity Commission noted that the government is
underfunding social services – the government is not disagreeing with this either.
“New Zealand First wants these NGOs to be paid fairly for their work. The government must acknowledge the valuable
services they provide,” says Mr Ball.
ENDS