Service access and our support

We provide a range of support to children and youth with high and complex needs. To access our service, they must first meet our criteria and be referred by an agency and a practitioner type from our list.

More in Service access and our support

Being eligible

For a child or young person to access our services, our full eligibility criteria must be met. This includes: 

  • being referred by the Ministry of Education or Oranga Tamariki and 1 other agency from our approved list
  • having gaps identified in current services across 2 or more of the following providers. Either the:
    • Ministry of Education
    • Children's Care System via Oranga Tamariki
    • Disability Support Services at Ministry of Social Development 
    • Child and Adolescent Mental Health service at Health New Zealand. 

Read the full criteria to be met below:

Eligibility criteria

To access added coordination, funding and support the current eligibility criteria for each of the following 3 sections must be met:

1. Referrals

Referrals must:

  • come from 2 or more of the following agencies and or agency services: 
    • Ministry of Education
    • Oranga Tamariki 
    • Disability Support Services at the Ministry of Social Development
    • Child and Adolescent Mental Health at Health New Zealand
  • have the Ministry for Education or Oranga Tamariki as 1 of the 2 referring agencies 
  • be from the Ministry of Education if it relates to an educational need, and the Ministry must already provide direct support to the child or young person
  • come from a practitioner in a role listed under Who can refer.

2. Agencies agreements

Agencies must agree:

  • the child or young person has high and complex needs that cannot be met through established supports and services
  • a coordinated approach is necessary
  • there is a systemic gap in of support that requires more specialised or intensive response or for a longer duration that can be provided currently.
     

3. The child or young person

The child or young person must:

  • have specialist reports from referring agencies available with detailed assessments of risks and need
  • have support plans in place already with a level of established collaboration
  • show behaviours that create a risk to themselves and or others
  • have tried many core service interventions and have not made improvements
  • be in a stable placement
  • be between 6 -14 years old at referral
  • have consent given from their legal guardian. 

Who can refer

Any referral to our service must come from a practitioner from one of the following agencies:

  • Any specialist practitioner for the Ministry of Education (e.g. Special Education Advisor, Educational Psychologist)
  • Social Workers or Supervisors at Oranga Tamariki
  • Any Needs Assessment and Coordination Services practitioner for Disability Support Services at the Ministry of Social Development
  • Any Adolescent Mental Health Services practitioner for Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Child.

Schools cannot refer

Schools are not able to make referrals. This includes specialist schools.

Agencies and practitioners

If you are an agency or practitioner, you may be able to refer to us a child or young person to us.

Your referral must be on behalf of one of the agencies in the list below, and you must practice in one of the roles under who can refer.

The child or young person must also have high and complex needs that:

  • present across multiple environments 
  • require a multi-agency response
  • require added supports and interventions over and above what existing services can provide to ensure safety and wellbeing.

How we can help

Our role is to create a plan and add support where there are gaps in local core service availability and provision to meet the child or young person and the needs of their whānau / family.

The added support will:

  • occur over a limited period
  • include a phase of transitioning the child or young person and their whānau / family back to mainstream supports as the plan duration comes to an end.

Our service plan

To create a comprehensive plan, a team is put together made up of:

  • representatives from the referring agencies
  • a High and Complex Needs (HCN) Specialist
  • the whānau / family and/or caregivers
  • the child or young person.

The HCN Specialist works with all key people to manage the planning process and coordinate the added interventions and support documented in the plan. 

High and Complex Needs Specialists

Working for the High and Complex Needs Interagency Service, HCN Specialists oversee and coordinate the implementation of the plan. They will:

  • support the development of the interagency plan and make sure it details the supports that are going to be put in place for a specified period
  • facilitate the HCN process ensuring that the regional Interagency Management Group (IMG) has all the information they need to make good decisions
  • coordinates the interventions
  • review how the plan is going
  • coordinates the team around the child or young person and their whānau / family to ensure that the right supports are being put in place and that any required changes are made
  • manages the Service's funding for the supports that are being put in place.

Interagency Management Groups (IMG)

Each region has an Interagency Management Group. Each group is made up of managers from the partner agencies. 

The regional Interagency Management Group (IMG) reviews and approves plans, checks ongoing progress against the identified goals and discusses changes where needed.

How to make a referral

If you are a practitioner in role listed in the who can refer section and working with another and you would like to progress a potential referral: 

Email us at hcn@ot.govt.nz

And provide the following for who you would like to refer:

  • first name
  • age
  • region.

What happens next

You will be put in touch with your local HCN specialist. They will organise a case consultation hui with the 2 referring agency representatives. 

The hui is to decide if the criteria has been met, and if a referral can be made. 

The HCN Specialist can also provide advice and guidance on: 

  • the eligibility criteria
  • completion of the referral.

If the referral meets the criteria, the referrals will be presented at a regional IMG meeting. Each regional IMG meets monthly. 

The outcome will be decided by regional IMGs, not the HCN Specialists.

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