5387 (2026). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Minister for Children

5387 (2026). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Minister for Children: How, if at all, does Oranga Tamariki manage or provide training and on-the-job support for its allied workforce?

Hon Karen Chhour: This question has been interpreted to refer to Allied Support Workers. Allied Support Workers undertake activities that do not require a registered and qualified social worker. Their work directly supports children and their family/whānau and frees up social workers to enable them to spend more time on core social work activities. The roles also create a pathway for social work students into permanent social work roles, supporting long-term workforce sustainability. I am advised Allied Support Workers work in social work teams and are inducted on site with support of their supervisor and site colleagues. As part of their onboarding process, they are required to complete online a set of mandatory iLearn learning and development modules. They also have access to the wider suite of online learning modules available to Oranga Tamariki staff and must complete refresher and new mandatory modules as they are released.