No mental wellbeing priority in government's latest child strategy

Mental well-being has been removed as a standalone priority in the government's latest Child and Youth Well-being Strategy - despite officials warning against this earlier in the year.

The three-yearly plan looks to improve outcomes for children and the coalition government's new focus for 2024-2027 is instead on supporting children in the first 2000 days, reducing material hardship and preventing harm against children.

In May, Ministry of Health officials advised the government against removing mental wellbeing as a standalone priority within the strategy.

Enhancing child and youth mental well-being was added as a new priority area of focus in 2022.

The Covid-19 pandemic and other global influences were referenced as causing "significant and likely enduring negative impacts" on the mental well-being of children and young people.

Official documents seen by RNZ show the minister had "directed officials to reframe the strategy work programme" around the three priority areas of child harm, child poverty, and the first 2000 days.

The advice pointed out that child and youth mental well-being was a "current priority" under the strategy, and acknowledged the minister proposed to remove mental well-being as a "standalone priority area".

They recommended against it, saying it risked the ministry losing one of the few "hard" levers it has to force multiple agencies to work together to improve child and youth mental well-being.

"Our recommendation would be to maintain mental well-being as a standalone priority area, and we have made our position clear to the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction's officials."

Minister of Child Poverty Reduction Louise Upston said in a statement the government had chosen a deliberate focus on "reducing material hardship through early intervention".

This is the first refresh of the strategy under the coalition government, and with it came "refreshed" Child Poverty Related Indicators. These measure long-term disadvantage amongst children.

New indicators include children in benefit-dependent households and educational achievement. Food insecurity has been dropped as a measure.

"These indicators are designed to focus government efforts on the areas that will make a meaningful difference to the lives of children, and drive accountability for improvement," Upston said.

"To achieve lasting reductions in child poverty rates we must break the long-term cycles of disadvantage and intergenerational benefit dependency."

Upston said mental health was woven "right through" the strategy because it impacted right across the three priority areas.

"That is actually woven through the three priorities we've got, and I made a specific mention in the first 2000 days, improving maternal mental health is absolutely critical."

If a mother had maternal mental health issues, "it affects your parenting. It affects your ability to earn an income. It affects your relationship with your child."

Upston added it would be one of the indicators the government would report on as part of the new strategy.

As ministers worked through what they were delivering in regards to the strategy "mental health is across all of it and will continue to be", she said.

There were complex challenges that needed to be addressed, however, Upston said.

"If you think about households and children with disadvantage, mental health difficulties, drug and addiction issues are part of those challenges."

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