4015 (2026). Dr Tracey McLellan to the Minister of Corrections

4015 (2026). Dr Tracey McLellan to the Minister of Corrections: What training or guidance has been provided to frontline Corrections staff on identifying and responding to risks to dependent children since the Office of the Inspectorate review, and how many staff have completed that training?

Hon Mark Mitchell: I am advised that Corrections staff have been reminded of the guidance on identifying risks to dependant children, indicators that harm may be occurring and what actions are available. I am further advised that in January 2025, Corrections included a module on identifying and responding to risks to dependant children within the learning pathway for Probation Officers. To date, 159 Probation Officers have undertaken the learning pathway since this module was included. In addition, Corrections is developing training for staff on the Child Protection Policy, which is scheduled to be completed in February 2026, before being available to staff. This training module has been designed in two parts; the first being an interactive online module, and the second scenario-based designed to be led by leaders with their teams. The online module is centred around the message “If you see or hear something, do something” and covers types of abuse and how to identify these, the roles of Oranga Tamariki and the New Zealand Police, what actions to take if you suspect harm is occurring, and where to access support and get additional guidance. Corrections is also supporting the all-of-Government work relating to mandatory training.