The Confidential Listening and Assistance Service (the Service) was established in 2008 to provide a confidential and supportive forum for people who experienced abuse or neglect during their time in New Zealand State care in residential special education, health and welfare sectors before 1992.

The Service was chaired by Judge Carolyn Henwood, CNZM, who was supported by panellists appointed on the basis of their expertise and standing in the community. The Department of Internal Affairs provided administrative support to the Service. The Service finished in June 2015.  

This is the final report of the Service which was established as an independent agency to provide assistance for people who had suffered abuse and neglect in State care before 1992.

When the Service was first established, it was intended to have a lifespan of five years. In April 2012 the Cabinet approved an extension until June 2015. We now come to the close of the Service, yet concerns still remain and other people may still be in need of help. This comprehensive report outlines these concerns, as well as the common themes of the stories heardby the Service, the legacy of effects, and the assistance provided during the last seven years.

Recommendations include:

• Take urgent steps to complete the task of resolving claims of abuse and neglect of people who were in care before 1992 including the claims in the High Court.
• Acknowledge the need for accountability in the social services sector by designing and implementing an independent body (such as the IPCA) to resolve historic and current complaints to hold the sector to account.
• Lift the veil of secrecy and use the data from the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service and the Historic Claims team, the Confidential Forum and the Ministries of Health and Education as a basis to offer a public statement to the people of New Zealand about what happened to those who suffered abuse and neglect in State care and acknowledge the wrongs of the past.
• Develop a Duty of Care for children and a new independent Care Service by:
  • a) Clarifying social policy around the care of children by the State and articulate the Duty of Care.
  • b) Designing and implementing an independent specialist care service as set out in Part 4 of this report incorporating the Duty of Care.
  • c) Making a commitment to ensure practice follows policy by ensuring that there is accountability at all levels within the system.
• Urgently and independently review the data from the Confidential Listening Service and Historic Claims team to ensure that the lessons of the past are learnt. When this data is reviewed, locate key touch points in Child Youth and Family for immediate improvements to practice.
• Create an independent Listening and Assistance Service for prisoners who have concerns over abuse and neglect of them as children in State care to reduce recidivism and lower risk to the community.