Media Statement
12 September 2012
1000 days to get it right for every child: clear expectations of parents welcome
Every Child Counts* has welcomed the government’s announcement that parents receiving benefits will be expected to
ensure their children are accessing well-child health, immunisations and early childhood education. But individual
circumstances must be taken into account, and support provided, to enable parents to access the services their children
need.
Recent research released by Every Child Counts shows that the welfare of children in New Zealand depends on support for
all parents to access these services, not just beneficiaries.
“Every child in New Zealand has a right to the services they need to ensure their health and optimal development, so it
makes sense for our society to be clear about its expectations of parents. These expectations should apply to all
parents, not just those receiving benefits,” says Liz Gibbs, chair of Every Child Counts.
“The vast majority of parents want the best for their children and if they are educated about the benefits to children
of accessing services they are very likely to do so.
“However, there are often barriers to this, especially for low-income families. Barriers can include lack of, or cost
of, transport, lack of cultural appropriateness, or simply that services available in their neighbourhood are
inadequate.
“We would be very concerned to see beneficiary families having benefits cut. But we also support moves to ensure that
children have better access to the services they need so individual circumstances of the families must be taken into
account.
When children are healthy and educated there are benefits to all New Zealanders,” concludes Liz Gibbs.
ENDS
*Every Child Counts is a coalition of organisations and individuals working to improve the status and wellbeing of NZ
children, driven by Barnardos, Plunket, UNICEF, Save the Children, and Ririki. www.everychildcounts.org.nz