As part of the 2025 budget millions will go towards the care system and improving redress for survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based institutions.
This comes as a response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care which was conducted over six years and found widespread abuse and neglect across many state and faith-based organisations.
“We know there is nothing we can do to take away the pain of survivors, but the Government has committed a significant investment of $774 million in Budget 2025 to improve the redress system and strengthen the care system to prevent, identify, and respond to abuse in the future,” said Minister Erica Stanford.
The final report made 138 recommendations one of which was for an independent redress entity - Stanford said although it was a difficult choice they decided rather than spending more time and money on setting up a new scheme, they would provide more to survivors through the current redress process.
However, in the coming months the government will establish a Ministerial Advisory Group of survivors and advocates to provide advice on the implementation of changes and the next phase of the wider response.
New claims from survivors of abuse in care who are also serious sexual and or violent offenders that were sentenced to five years or more in prison must apply through a new process - legislation on this will be introduced later this year.
The process is modelled on approaches in Australia and Scotland, and involves an independent decision making who assures whether a redress payment would damage the reputation of the redress scheme.
There is funding to continue the Survivor Experiences Service which is survivor-led who help with accessibility, better record keeping and will do an independent review of the redress system changes in 2027.
At this point redress decisions don’t include claims that sit with school boards, faith-based organisations and other non-state providers but the government will receive further advice on this later in the year.
“The wider work on the Crown response to the Royal Commission’s recommendations continues to be a priority,” Stanford said.
Investments in the wider care system over the next four years include:
- Up to $71.5 million to build a capable and safe care workforce for children and vulnerable adults;
- Over $50 million to make mental health inpatient units safer and improve privacy and dignity for patients;
- $25 million towards funding initiatives with evidence of an ability to prevent the entry of children and vulnerable adults into care;
- $16 million for Oranga Tamariki for improvements to safeguarding to reduce abuse and harm to children and young people in remand homes and in the care of individual caregivers;
- $9.4 million to bolster oversight of compulsory mental health and addiction care by increasing the capacity, expertise, and availability of independent statutory roles including District Inspectors and Review Tribunals; and
- Almost $9 million for Disability Support Services to strengthen processes that recognise and respond to instances of abuse in care, by introducing additional audits on the quality of services delivered by contracted care providers and improving the systems that support the management of critical incidents and complaints.
Improvements to the redress system over this year will include:
- Increasing the average redress payments for new claims from $19,180 to $30,000;
- Providing for higher payments for the survivors who experienced the most egregious abuse;
- Providing “top up” payments of 50% to survivors who have already settled claims to ensure consistency with increased payments for new claims;
- Introducing a common payments framework so that survivors receive the same financial redress for similar experiences of abuse, regardless of where in state care that abuse occurred;
- Increase system capacity to process claims from 1,350 to 2,150 per year from 2027 to reduce wait times for current claimants;
- Implementing a seamless service so that survivors with claims with multiple agencies have those claims managed by one point of contact;
- Introducing a single-entry point for survivors wanting to register new claims;
- Introducing an independent review for people who are unhappy with their redress offer; and
- Funding for redress agencies to provide survivors with access to supports and services.
