IN-CONFIDENCE

OIA-CE-2024-02528
19 September 2024

Tom (FYI)
[FYI request #27978 email]

Tēnā koe Tom,

Thank you for your email, received on 19 August 2024, to Oranga Tamariki—Ministry
for Children (Oranga Tamariki) requesting information about Oranga Tamariki funding
to providers. You then clarified your request on 22 August 2024 to specify your request
for information on Barnardos NZ and Family Start for the previous two financial years.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).

You requested:

•
Funding allocated to Barnardos NZ and Family Start per year for the previous
two financial years.
•
Whether this agreed funding has at this point in time (22/08/2024) been allocated
in full.
•
Whether this funding has been allocated to Barnardos NZ and Family Start prior
to the start of each new financial year (30 June 2023 and 2024), OR
•
Whether OT has failed to hand over funds to its providers in a timely manner, or
at an agreed date, or at the date expected by Barnardos NZ and Family Start.
•
Whether Oranga Tamariki is currently holding funding which has been allocated
to providers, but not yet been transferred to those providers. If so, what is the
dollar value of this.
•
Al  correspondence between OT and Barnardos NZ and Family Start regarding
the impacts of funding cuts
•
Al  correspondence between OT and Barnardos NZ and Family Start regarding
funds which providers are expecting

I have responded to each of your requests below.

•
Funding allocated to Barnardos NZ and Family Start per year for the previous
two financial years.
•
Whether this agreed funding has at this point in time (22/08/2024) been allocated
in full.

IN-CONFIDENCE

•
Whether this funding has been allocated to Barnardos NZ and Family Start prior
to the start of each new financial year (30 June 2023 and 2024), OR
•
Whether OT has failed to hand over funds to its providers in a timely manner, or
at an agreed date, or at the date expected by Barnardos NZ and Family Start.

Oranga Tamariki contracted with Barnardos to deliver services, including Family Start,
in the previous two financial years. For the 2022/23 financial year they were allocated
$17.2 mil ion and for the 2023/24 financial year they were allocated $16.5 mil ion.
Oranga Tamariki are stil  in negotiations with Barnardos on services, including Family
Start, to be contracted in the 2024/25 financial year.
Oranga Tamariki contracted 44 providers, including Barnardos, to deliver Family Start
services in the previous two financial years. For the 2022/23 financial year they were
allocated $55.7 mil ion and for the 2023/24 financial year they were allocated $54.1
million.
As these negotiations are currently underway this information is withheld under section
9(2)(j) as to enable  a  Minister  of  the  Crown  or  any  public  service  agency  or
organisation holding the information to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage,
commercial negotiations.
For some of our large national providers, negotiations and agreement on the services
being contracted each year have not been formally agreed and finalised at this time.
We  advise  that  we  have  not  failed  to  hand  over  funds  to  its  providers  in  a  timely
manner, or at an agreed dated, or at the date expected by Barnardos NZ and Family
Start. Funds have been provided following negotiation and agreement on payment
amounts at year end.

•
Whether Oranga Tamariki is currently holding funding which has been allocated
to providers, but not yet been transferred to those providers. If so, what is the
dollar value of this.

We  advise  that  Oranga  Tamariki  is  not  currently  holding  funding  that  has  been
allocated  to  providers.  We  have  provisioned  and  contracted  service  funding  and
transition funding available is stil  to be negotiated.

•
Al  correspondence between OT and Barnardos NZ and Family Start regarding
the impacts of funding cuts
•
Al  correspondence between OT and Barnardos NZ and Family Start regarding
funds which providers are expecting

Responding  to  this  part  of  your  request  would  require  manual  collation  of  the
significant  amounts of  materials  provided to  and  received  from  Barnardos  and  our
Family Start providers at both the Oranga Tamariki National Office and across many
regional  sites.  As the information  requrested  cannot  be  made  available  without
substantial collation or research  this part of your request is refused under section 18(f)
of the Act.

IN-CONFIDENCE

Please see attached as Appendix One a letter dated 21 August 2024 and a FAQs
sheet that I sent to the Family Start Providers Collective, including Barnardos in it’s
capacity as a Famliy Start provider,  regarding Oranga Tamariki funding decisions for
the 2024/25 financial year. The purpose of the communication was to advise providers
that  they  would  be  receiving  a  letter,  if  they  hadn’t  already,  from  their  respective
contract  managers  confirming  the  Oranga  Tamariki    investment  decisions  for  the
2024/25 financial year.

I confirm that Oranga Tamariki are in active conversations with Barnardos contracting
arrangements for 2024/25  financial  year.  No  formal  letter  confirming  these
arrangements has been sent from Oranga Tamariki to Barnardos.

Oranga Tamariki may make the information contained in this letter available to the
public by publishing this on our website with your personal details removed.
I  trust  you  find  this  information  useful.  Should  you  have  any  concerns  with  this
response, I would encourage you to raise them with Oranga Tamariki. Alternatively,
you  are  advised  of  your  right  to  also  raise  any  concerns  with  the  Office  of  the
Ombudsman. Information about this is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or by contacting them on 0800 802 602.

Nāku noa, nā

Uarnie-Jane More
Acting Deputy Chief Executive, Enabling Communities and Investment

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