Archive for the ‘Social Security Act 1964’ Category

Where to for Beneficiary families now that the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill has passed its Third Reading

Friday, April 19th, 2013

Families Children and Parents Together

There have been some changes to the Bill since the First Reading back in September 2012. It is important if you are on a benefit that you understand what the law does and does not say so that you are not forced by WINZ to do something that the law does not require of you.

What does the law say?

1. It is compulsory for 3 and 4 year olds to be attending an ECE—this ECE can be in your home with your own children. If you are keeping your children home you will have to use a Government approved programme for an undisclosed amount of time each week which will be taken out to 15 hours a week sometime in the future.

2. You can keep your 5 year olds at home doing whatever you like with them—just like before this Bill passed.

3. Your 6 year olds and above have to attend school or you have to get an exemption for them—just like before the Bill passed.

4. You will have to enrol your children with a GP.

5. Your children will have to complete the core WellChild/Tamariki Ora checks

6. If your youngest is 5 you (mothers) will have to work for 15 hours a week.

7. If your youngest is 14 you (mothers) will have to work for 30 hours a week.

What does the law NOT say?

1. You do not have to send your child to an ECE facility.

2. The Bill has not set the minimum weekly hours for using the Government approved curriculum in your home. At the moment you can determine that time at less than 15 hours a week. It will be extended to 15 hours at a later date.

3. The law says nothing about 5 year olds.

4. You don’t have to visit the GP—(have to be enrolled with a GP)

5. Compulsory immunisations are not in the Bill, and Paula Bennett was not able to include them in the Bill after the Second Reading. So you do not have to get your preschoolers immunised.

6. Mothers have to work 15 or 30 hours a week but it does not have to be out of your home and there is no money value on it in the Bill. One WINZ worker told a beneficiary mother (before the Bill passed) that she could sit at home watching TV while she knitted for 15 hours a week.

7. The Bill does not say that you have to go to “Getting Work Ready Meetings/Training” before your youngest is 5. So if you get a letter when your youngest is still only 2 or even younger (I heard of someone getting the letter when her youngest was only 6 months old) then hold the WINZ workers to the law. You only have to be working 15 hours a week once your youngest turns 5—not before.

8. You can home educate your children and work 15 or 30 hours a week. Paula Bennett said that you would not be able to, but if you are working from home then it is possible—hard, unfair etc. but it is possible. More on this later with ideas etc.

My recommendations

1. We don’t know how the sanctions will work. If you are on the Benefit when this Bill comes into effect we don’t know how hard or easy it will be to get off the benefit if you are not obeying the social obligations or work requirements. You might be able to say that you don’t want to receive the Benefit any more and that will be the end of it. But on the other hand the sanctions are nasty. If after three warnings over 6-8 weeks you haven’t fulfilled the social obligations you will lose half your benefit and be subject to “intensified case management support”—in other words more frequent meetings with WINZ to make you comply with the social obligations. According to the MSD’s Welfare Reform Paper E, “There are operational processes in place for clients to be referred to CYF or fraud investigation if they continue on a fifty percent sanction.” This means that parents who continue refusing to fulfill their social obligations after losing half their benefit may be reported to CYF or investigated for fraud.

2.       So my recommendations would be if at all possible to get off the Benefit before this bill comes into effect in July 2013 especially if you have no intentions to teach the Government approved curriculum to your 3 and 4 year olds and do not intend to work the required 15 or 30 hours a week.

3.       1 Timothy 5 talks about older children looking after their mothers and younger siblings and leaving true widows for the Church to look after them.

  • · If at all possible get your older children or the father of your children or extended family to help/support you and your children.
  • · If this fails and your family can’t help then go to your Church and talk to them. It is time for the local Church to take up their responsibilities to help the widow and those in need and not leave it up to the Government any longer.
  • · If you are not on a benefit then please consider providing the needy families you know with this help and support as appropriate.

MSD and Home Schooling

Different WINZ offices have been operating differently. Some have been compassionate and others have been obnoxious towards home educators. The MSD (Ministry of Social Development) have told me that they want to have the same policy toward home educators across the country. They want the WINZ workers to be compassionate not obnoxious. Some WINZ workers are against home education. They don’t see why they have to put their children in school and have to go out to work while the Government pays home educating mothers to stay home with their children—they forget that it is a choice that they made. They forget that the government pays for their children’s the school and ECE. They ignore the fact that home educators save the government money when they keep their children home. So they try to make things very hard for home educators by saying they have to send their children to ECE and go out to work.

We have had some conflicting information from Paula Bennett about what the MSD policy is for home educators. In a letter from her in October she said that beneficiaries who want to homeschool their children will have to provide “proof of restricted circumstances that makes their child’s attendance at school unreasonable” as well as a Ministry of Education (MoE) exemption certificate, in order to fulfill the Bill’s requirement for children to be attending school. However, Parliamentary documents such as the Select Committee’s report confirm that an MoE exemption is all you need in order to fulfill the social obligation for school attendance.

The MSD wants to be consistent with how they treat home educators. If your case worker at WINZ is being unfair and intolerant and thinks you should not be homeschooling or keeping your 3 and 4 year old home, then Head Office would like to hear about it. Please ring (04) 916-3300.

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Please feel free to repost, forward or pass on  this email

Please do so with the whole post. Thankyou

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Links:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 5 October 2012:  One year on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

http://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

http://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: http://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

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Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

http://hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

Media Release 25 – Families and Churches Must Care for the Unemployed

Friday, April 19th, 2013

April 10, 2013

Palmerston North, NZ – The Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill has passed by a narrow two-vote margin, together with “social obligations” which will force beneficiary parents to make certain decisions for their children’s health and education or be penalised by a 50% sanction.

“This is disappointing,” says Home Education Foundation National Director Barbara Smith, who mobilised parents and young people across New Zealand to object to the draconian “social obligations”. “The New Zealand Law Society said this bill would discriminate against beneficiaries, and no amendments were made in response to that. The Minister for Health said that it would result in more children missing out on basic health care, and no amendments were made in response to that. Even a proposed amendment to prevent families being sanctioned where this would leave children without adequate income was defeated.”

Most of all, says Mrs Smith, it’s disappointing that government-approved early childhood education will now be mandatory for all 3 and 4 year old preschool-aged children of beneficiaries.

However, she says, the social obligations provide an opportunity for families, churches, and government to reconsider their proper roles.

“If the government pays to support sole-parent and struggling families, then we shouldn’t be surprised when they believe that gives them a say in these families’ decisions. Whoever pays the piper calls the tune.

“But this is a deviation from the government’s properly limited role, to protect national borders and keep the peace.”

Mrs Smith says she hopes these rules will convince struggling families to look elsewhere for financial support in times of hardship. “We can’t complain that the government is taking away our responsibilities if we aren’t willing to face those responsibilities.

“Throughout the Christian history of our culture, charity and public welfare has been the responsibility of families and churches, not the state,” she says.

“Families understood that they had the responsibility to care for ill or out-of-work relations. And where family support was inadequate, the church would step in to provide for the needy.”

Mrs Smith says that the church’s historic role in providing health care, education, and welfare has powerfully shaped culture in the past. “During the decline of the Roman empire, the church became so influential owing to its selfless deeds of charity and mercy that one emperor was forced to set up his own rival social security system to remind citizens that he was their god and would supply all their needs.”

Mrs Smith, a widow being supported by her five adult children, says that history teaches us to hope for the future. “There is a better way.

“In the coming days and years, more parents are going to face poverty and hardship because they refuse to sign their children over to a bloated paternal government which insists it knows best.

“We need to be ready to support them.”

About the Home Education Foundation

The Home Education Foundation has been informing parents for 28 years about the fantastic opportunity to de-institutionalise our sons and daughters and to embrace the spiritual, intellectual and academic freedom that is ours for the taking. Through conferences, journals, newsletters and all kinds of personal communications, we explain the vision of handcrafting each child into a unique individual, complete with virtuous character, a hunger for service to others, academic acumen and a strong work ethic. For more information, please visit www.hef.org.nz

.

Where this Media Release appeared:

.

Voxy: Families and churches urged to care for the unemployed

Scoop: Families and Churches Must Care for the Unemployed

Newstalk ZB: Interviewed today- recorded – will post up link when it is available

.

Other Press Releases on the 3rd reading so far:

.

Paula Bennett: Welfare reforms pass into law

Auckland Action Against Poverty: Beneficiaries ‘receive biggest boot in the guts since ’91?

Peter Dunne: Fairer child support reform bill passes

Parliament today: Child Support And Welfare Reforms Pass Into Law

Labour: Welfare Reforms Mark The End Of Social Contract

Jacinda Ardern: Welfare reforms mark the end of social contract – Jacinda Ardern

Asenati Lole-Taylor Social welfare reforms ‘impose unrealistic obligations’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 2 February 2013:  One year on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

http://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

http://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: http://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

3rd Reading of the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill TODAY

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013
http://hef.org.nz/2013/3rd-reading-of-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-today/

Families Children and Parents TogetherThe 3rd Reading of the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill is TODAY.

http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rdonlyres/7B3B73E3-47FC-456C-83D3-8BA19D6A5BAC/267569/00HOH20130327_orderpaper_1.pdf

If you have not sent your emails into Peter Dunne and John Banks please do so URGENTY today. It would be good if you can get them sent in by 2pm.

For more information please go to this link: 3rd Reading of the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

So please get your emails off TODAY

Peter Dunne: peter.dunne@parliament.govt.nz, ohariu.mp@parliament.govt.nz

John Banks: johnbanks.epsom@parliament.govt.nz, john.banks@act.org.nz

Put in your subject line as the MPs might not be able to read every email if they get a lot of emails: Please vote against the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

My emails for you to use as a guide targeting their stand on this issue from their Party ideals:

Peter Dunne: http://hef.org.nz/2013/home-education-foundations-email-to-peter-dunne/

John Banks: http://hef.org.nz/2013/home-education-foundations-email-to-john-banks/

Please also ring the MPs. You will probably not be able to talk to the MPs. I have been trying to ring them for several days and I only get their secretaries. When you ring them please make sure you tell the secretaries that you want the MP to vote against the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill while the Social and Work Obligations and Sanctions are still in the Bill.

Please ring theses two MPs. When we ring the MPs they listen.

ACT: John Banks 07 817 9999

.

United Future: Peter Dunne 04 817 6827

There are two SOPs added for the 3rd reading of this Bill:

Related Supplementary Order Papers * Indicates a break up SOP ?

SOP No 199 Hon Paula Bennett released 26 March 2013 Download PDF (175KB)
SOP No 197 Holly Walker released 25 March 2013 Download PDF (92KB)

ACTION STATION

If you have not emailed and rung Peter Dunne and John Banks please do so immediately.

.

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In 1877 New Zealanders lost the freedom to educate our children at home without applying for permission. Our forefathers let us down by not standing up for their rights.

In 2013, will we be the generation that begins to lose the freedom to preschool our own children, to make our own decisions about health care, or to invest our time in our families above a job?

We say NO

Let us protect the children of Beneficiaries

Because this could extend to ALL children

if this passes

SPEAK NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE

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Please feel free to repost, forward or pass on  this email

Please do so with the whole post. Thankyou

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Links:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 5 October 2012:  One year on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

http://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

http://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: http://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

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Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

http://hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

Peaceful Protest TODAY outside a MPs Electorate Office – Are you going?

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Families Children and Parents Together

Today is the day for the Peaceful Protest outside a MPs Electorate Office at 1:30pm. Are you going to one?

Please support home educators on a benefit. You don’t know when it could be you due to illness, death or a job loss. At any time any of us could be in a situation where we are dependant on the benefit. Then, if this Bill is passed, in it’s present form, you will have to send your 3 – 5 year olds to a Government approved ECE for 15 hours a week. As well as that once your youngest turns 5 you will have to work for 15 hours a week and once your youngest turns 14 work for 30 hours a week. Ruby Harrold-Claesson, when in New Zealand, talked about the “tyranny of the small steps”. This could be a small step towards making ECE compulsory for all 3 – 5 years olds – this is my motivation for fighting this Bill. The Government has the aim of having 98% of 3-5 year olds in an ECE by 2016.

Press Release on the Peaceful Protest: http://hef.org.nz/2013/media-release-21-call-for-peaceful-protests-on-social-security-bill/

Here is a link to the National, New Zealand First, ACT , United Future and Independant MPs Electorate Offices: http://hef.org.nz/beneficiaries/mp-electorate-office-for-peaceful-protest/

If at all possible here the MPs that we need to go to the most – the seven on the Select Committee who are for the Bill:

Melissa Lee, 779 New North Road, Mount Albert, Auckland, (09) 815-0278

Alfred Ngaro,610 Massey Rd, Auckland, (09) 275 8761 
Maungakiekie – Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga,268 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland, (09) 622 0300
NorthlandMike Sabin,  1 1 6 A Kerikeri Road, Kerkeri, 09 407 7219
Whangarei – Phil Heatley,20 Deveron Street, Whangarei, (09) 438 9992
Michael Woodhouse, 333 Princes Street, Dunedin (03) 477 7330 Contact:  Welfare Justice Dunedin, Olive McRae- coordinator,  027 257 9218 olive.mcrae@gmail.com
Asenati Lole-Taylor, Suite 5, Level one, Delamare Building, 129 Great South Road, Papatoetoe, Manukau, Auckland, (09) 278 5402
If you can’t go to one of the above Electorate Offices then please go to one of these on this list: http://hef.org.nz/beneficiaries/mp-electorate-office-for-peaceful-protest/.  I am  going to the Feilding National Electorate Office because we have a Labour MP in Palmerston North. I have some spare seats in my van if anyone would like a ride from Palmerston North to Feilding.
I do not have contacts for most areas. So please turn up outside an Electorate Office and look for others to join up with. Please also make some signs to hold up. Then you will be recognised by others turning up and everyone will know why you are there. Please also ring your local media and let them know that this is happening all around the Country. So a small number at each office is understandable when we are at a number of offices around the Country.
Here are some flyer ideas:
for handing out to people
.
for making into a banner to hold up
.
You may have some ideas for other signs please feel free to make them.
We only have 12 more days until the Select Committee must hand their report to Parliament. This is now URGENT.
One MP said to me that the most effective thing we can be doing now is ringing the 11 Select Committee members. Please, if at all possible, give them a ring over the next few days – Today and Monday in Particular. I am going to be ringing them today and Monday as well.
.
Melissa Lee, (09) 815-0278
Alfred Ngaro, (09) 275 8761
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, (09) 622 0300
Mike Sabin, (09) 407 7219
Phil Heatley, (09) 438 9992
Michael Woodhouse, (03) 477 7330
Asenati Lole-Taylor, (09) 278 5402
Jacinda Ardern (09) 360 1641
Jan Logie 021 038 6101
Rajen Prasad (04) 817 8210 (Parlimentarly office)
Su’a William Sio (09) 2755345
.
Please bear with me for a few more emails – this is nearly over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please feel free to repost, forward or pass on  this email

Please do so with the whole post. Thankyou

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Links:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 5 October 2012:  One year on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

http://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

http://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: http://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

*******************************

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

http://hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

Media Release 21 – Call for Peaceful Protests on Social Security Bill

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013

Families Children and Parents Together

Media Release – Call for Peaceful Protests on Social Security Bill

5 March 2013

Palmerston North, NZ – As the government Select Committee draws up its report on the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill, time is running short for New Zealanders to let MPs know about their concerns with the Bill. Barbara Smith, National Director of the Home Education Foundation of New Zealand, says that concerned citizens should organise peaceful protests outside their local MP’s office.

“Time is limited,” says Mrs Smith. “In two weeks, on 20 March, the Select Committee has to hand in their report to Parliament. We do not know what is in their report. We do not know if they are going to recommend against the social obligations and sanctions in this Bill or not.

“So we need to keep this before the Select Committee and all MPs.”

According to Mrs Smith, most of the submissions on the Bill came from parents concerned about the social obligations in the Bill, which will force beneficiaries to make certain decisions about their children’s health and education.

“It’s taking away the rights of beneficiaries to make the best decisions for their children. Even the New Zealand Law Society said that’s discriminatory.”

Mrs Smith is asking concerned New Zealanders to take action. “We’re asking people to organise peaceful protests outside their local MP’s office, especially the National MPs. Make a banner protesting the social obligations and sanctions.”

The HEF has already been organising a letter-writing and visiting campaign against the social obligations in the bill. But, says Mrs Smith, it’s time to take the campaign to the streets.

“We asked an MP what else we could be doing. This MP said we should look at peaceful protests. Make sure you let local media outlets know that it’s happening.”

Opponents of the Bill are organising peaceful protests this Friday, the 8th of March at 1:30 pm outside MP’s offices across New Zealand.

“Parliament is in recess this week and all the MPs should be in their offices,” says Mrs Smith.

“We all need to be standing out there with banners to raise awareness of what is happening.

“Get in touch with your local media. Invite all your friends. Print out the flyers available on the HEF website.

“We’ll see you at the protest on Friday.”

While the Select Committee is writing its report on the Bill, concerned New Zealanders can also write, call, and visit their local MPs and the Select Committee, says Mrs Smith.

The Select Committee members are Jacinda Ardern, Jan Logie, Rajen Prasad, Phil Twyford, Melissa Lee, Asenati Lole-Tayler, Sam Lotu-liga, Alfred Ngaro, Mike Sabin, Phil Heatley, and Michael Woodhouse. Letters to individual MPs should be sent to this address (no stamp necessary):

Parliament Office
Private Bag 18888
Parliament Buildings
Wellington 6160

More information on the protest, with downloadable flyers and contact details for MPs, can be found at http://hef.org.nz/2013/current-social-services-select-committee-members-urgent-action-required/.

About the Home Education Foundation

The Home Education Foundation has been informing parents for 27 years about the fantastic opportunity to de-institutionalise our sons and daughters and to embrace the spiritual, intellectual and academic freedom that is ours for the taking. Through conferences, journals, newsletters and all kinds of personal communications, we explain the vision of handcrafting each child into a unique individual, complete with virtuous character, a hunger for service to others, academic acumen and a strong work ethic. For more information, please visit www.hef.org.nz or more specifically hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

Press Release 21 – Peaceful Protest

Appeared here:

Scoop: Call for Peaceful Protests on Social Security Bill

Voxy: Call for peaceful protests on Social Security Bill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please feel free to repost, forward or pass on  this email

Please do so with the whole post. Thankyou

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Links:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 5 October 2012:  One year on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

http://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

http://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: http://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

*******************************

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

http://hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

Oral Submissions begin for the Social Security Bill today

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

Oral Submissions begin 28 November in Wellington. (This weeks meetings only)

Visitor access to select committee hearings in committee rooms 3 is through Parliament’s main entrance across the forecourt between Parliament House and the Beehive.

Only enter the committee room if an ‘open to the public’ sign is displayed. Wait outside if you cannot see the sign — the select committee may be discussing something in private, or their schedule may have changed at short notice.

Select committee meetings that are open to the public are shown on the schedule marked with an asterisk *.

Wednesday 28 November 2012 — Room 3 Parliament Buildings Wellington

* S S (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment 9.00am 10.00am
* S S (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment 3.30pm 6.00pm

29 November 2012

S S(Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment 9.15am 9.17am

Friday 30 November 2012  –  Novotel Auckland Airport – Paataka Conference Room 1

* S S (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment 9.00am 1.00pm
* S S (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment 2.00pm 5.00pm

Key links for presenting an oral submission

My appointment for my personal Oral Submission is 4:05pm on the 28th in Wellington

Family Integrity’s oral Submission is 4:15pm on the 28th in Wellington

The Home Education Foundation’s oral submission is 4:30pm on the 28th in Wellington

Please feel free to use any of these links to help you with your oral submission

Please feel free to repost, forward or pass on  this email

Please do so with the whole post. Thankyou

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Links:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 5 October 2012:  One year on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

http://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

http://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:
http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

*******************************

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

Make a submission: Reject compulsory Early Education for 3 year olds

Family Integrity’s submission to the Select Committee on the Social Security Bill

Monday, October 29th, 2012

Click on links below to read Family Integrity’s submission:

Family Integrity submission

ECE research.docx

24 pages of research quotes

Samuel Blight 18.10.12

Media Release 7 – Paula Bennett’s One-Size-Fits-All Approach Leaves Parents With No Options

Monday, October 29th, 2012

Media Release 7 – Paula Bennett’s One-Size-Fits-All Approach Leaves Parents With No Options

October 26, 2012

Palmerston North, NZ – Parents will be left with no options under the new Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill, says Barbara Smith of the Home Education Foundation (HEF) of New Zealand.

Under international human rights instruments and the Care of Children Act 2004, section 16, parents have the right to make important decisions for their children, including where and how the children will be educated and what medical treatment they will receive.

“The ‘Social Obligations’ in this bill prevent parents from making their own decisions about health and education,” says Mrs Smith. “Under the bill, parents will be forced to send their preschoolers to an approved Early Childhood Education (ECE) provider, register them with a GP, and attend all the core Well Child checks.”

In a letter to the Home Education Foundation dated 25 October 2012, Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett stated, “I know that most beneficiary parents are acting in the best interests of their child and engaging in appropriate services.” According to Ms Bennett, the most disadvantaged families in the benefit system are the ones that fail to “engage in appropriate services.”

“If Paula Bennett knows that most beneficiary families act in their child’s best interests, why is she making ECE compulsory?” Mrs Smith asks.

“The answer is that she believes ‘engaging in appropriate services’ is a measure of whether families are ‘disadvantaged’ or not.

“What about the families who want to opt out of ECE and Well Child checks, providing education at home and quality health care from providers they choose themselves? They’re going to be labeled ‘disadvantaged’ and ‘vulnerable’, simply for not following the government programme.”

Paula Bennett assures beneficiary parents that Work and Income will “engage and support parents to meet their obligations” for a six to eight week period before levying the 50% sanction and—if the family appears problematic–calling CYF.

“Families don’t want six to eight weeks to get sorted out,” says Mrs Smith. “They want to keep their preschoolers home from ECE. They want to home educate their children.

“What about parents’ right to choose the education their children receive?”

Mrs Smith emphasises that this is not just the law of the land but also a fundamental human right.

“It’s the parents’ responsibility to choose their child’s education. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights states that parents have a ‘prior right’ to choose how their child will be educated. The Care of Children Act states that parents have the right to determine ‘where, and how, the child is to be educated’. Thousands of Kiwi parents want to exercise this right to educate their children at home, including in preschool.

“This bill will result in significant hardship for parents who want to choose to educate their children. These parents do not want to be ‘supported and encouraged’ to comply with social obligations. They do not want to ‘engage in appropriate services’ because they believe they can provide superior services. They do not want free ECE, although they pay for it with taxes. They do not want free health checks. They do not want to be supported, encouraged, lectured, or harassed to do anything.

“They just want the freedom to do what they know is right.”

Mrs Smith encourages all concerned Kiwis to make a submission to the Select Committee by the deadline on November 1. Ms Bennett’s letter 2nd letter from Paula Bennett to Barbara Smith and materials for writing a submission can be found at www.hef.org.nz.

About the Home Education Foundation

The Home Education Foundation has been informing parents for 27 years about the fantastic opportunity to de-institutionalise our sons and daughters and to embrace the spiritual, intellectual and academic freedom that is ours for the taking. Through conferences, journals, newsletters and all kinds of personal communications, we explain the vision of handcrafting each child into a unique individual, complete with virtuous character, a hunger for service to others, academic acumen and a strong work ethic. For more information, please visit www.hef.org.nz or more specifically hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

Press Release appeared:

Scoop: Bennett’s Approach Leaves Parents With No Options

Voxy: One-size-fits-all approach leaves parents with no options

Newstalkzb: Backlash against government plan for beneficiary parents
Contact

To learn more about this bill, please contact

Barbara Smith
National Director
PO Box 9064
Palmerston North 4441
New Zealand
ph. 06 357-4399
06 354-7699
barbara@hef.org.nz

Barbara 1.jpeg

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Related Links:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 5 October 2012:  One year on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

http://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

http://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:
http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

*******************************

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

http://hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

2nd letter from Paula Bennett to Barbara Smith

Monday, October 29th, 2012

Click on this link to read the signed letter on Paula Bennett’s letterhead

Barbara Smith 25.10.12

Office of Hon Paula Bennett

Minister for Social Development
Minister of Youth Affairs

2 5 OCT 2012

Barbara smith
Home Education Foundation

PO Box 9064

Palmerston North

New Zealand

Dear Barbara

I write further to my letter of 20 September and in response to your recent press releases about this Government’s welfare reforms. I thought it would be helpful to provide some further context and information around the intent of the current policy and proposed changes.

One of my key goals as Minister is to reduce long term benefit dependency and to improve outcomes for children in vulnerable families. The welfare reforms that I have already introduced and that are currently going through Parliament aim to help people into employment and provide more opportunities to some of our most vulnerable children.

Children from lower socio-economic groups, particularly benefit-supported homes, have a higher risk of negative social outcomes or missing development milestones.

l know that most beneficiary parents are acting in the best interests of their child and engaging in appropriate services. lt is our most disadvantaged and vulnerable families in the benefit system who are not likely to be engaging and these are the families who would benefit most.

The proposed social obligations aim to reduce long-term welfare dependency and prevent the cycle of disadvantage continuing from parent to child. Beneficiaries with dependent children will be required to take “all reasonable steps” to have their dependent child:

  • aged three or over, enrolled in and attending an approved Early Childhood Education Programme (ECE) until they start school
  • enrolled in and regularly attending school from age of five or six (depending on when the child first starts school)
  • enrolled with a primary health care provider, and up-to-date with the WellChild checks.

There is no requirement for beneficiary parents to immunìse their children. The decision to immunìse a child remains with the parent.

As l mentioned in my letter to you of 20 September 2012 I have ensured that a facilitative process is in place that enables Work and Income to engage with and support parents to meet their obligations, relying on sanctions only as a last resort. With at least three stages of contact over a period of six to eight weeks, Work and Income will be able to work intensively with a beneficiary before any sanction would apply.

The “all reasonable steps” criteria is still under development but will enable the flexibility for Work and Income to consider each individual situation and where there are genuine reasons for a parent not being able to meet their social obligations, for example their child is on a waiting list for a GP or lives in a remote area and cannot attend ECE, the parent will not be penalised.

Beneficiary parents will not be referred to Child Youth and Family simply because they have not met social obligations. However, there will be some situations where failure to meet multiple obligations is a symptom of far deeper problems within a family and I make no apologies about intervening and seeking more intensive support for vulnerable children where it is needed.

As a home educator, I understand you are particularly concerned about the social obligations requiring that beneficiary parents take all reasonable steps for their dependent children to be enrolled in ECE from age three until they start school and the obligation that they be enrolled in and attending school from age five or six (depending on when they start school).

As I advised in my letter of the 20th September where l outlined what approved (licensed and certiticated) ECE programmes were (for example kindergartens, playcentres and kohanga reo) educating a child under the age of five in the home (unless it is part of a licensed home based care service for example through PORSE or Barnardos) does not meet the criteria of being licensed or certificated ECE under the Education Act 1989.

I understand you discussed some concerns regarding the implications of the social obligations for home schooling school aged children with my officials yesterday. Your concerns particularly centred on a response I made on 18 October to a query from Samuel Blight.

These welfare reforms aim to help to fundamentally shift the benefit system to one that encourages independence and personal responsibility, primarily through paid employment.

The social obligation for beneficiary parents to take all reasonable steps to have their child enrolled  and attending school from age five or six (depending on when they start school) does not in of itself affect a parent’s ability to home school their child. For example, when a beneficiary does not have work obligations. The policy for home schooling has not changed as part of the welfare reforms and provided all existing criteria are met it will remain possible for beneficiary parents to home school their children and not fail their social obligation to have their school age children attending school.

However, beneficiaries who have work obligations generally cannot home school their children. This is because beneficiaries and their partners are required to be available for and seeking work where a child is aged over five. Work test requirements for partners are not new and were first introduced for partners of Unemployment Benefit recipients in April 1997.

There will be some situations where a parent is able to meet their part-time work test obligation while home schooling their child. For example where the parent works their 15 hours in the late afternoon/evening and home schools their child earlier in the day. These parents would not need an exemption from their part-time work test obligation.

Over time the work test requirements have been extended, for example from 15 October 2012 the age of the youngest child at which a part-time work test will apply was lowered from six to five. Whether a work test is full-time  or part time work depends on the beneficiaries circumstances:

  • where a beneficiary has a child aged between five and 14 they are required to be available for and actively seeking part­time work of at least 15 hours per week
  • where a beneficiary has a child aged 14 years or over they are required to be available for and actively seeking  work of at least 30 hours per week.

There are some very limited exceptions where a beneficiary is able to be exempted from work test obligations to home school a school aged child. The Ministry of Social Development have additional criteria to meet over and above Ministry of Education approval for home schooling. These additional criteria were introduced in 2010 to reinforce that recipients of a work-tested benefit are expected to comply with work-test obligations in exchange for the benefit. The criteria in place establish whether the child’s attendance at school is unreasonableI for example if there is no school bus or where a child has special needs. Please note the restricted circumstances in my previous letter are examples and are not necessarily an exhaustive list.

l have been advised by officials that applications for exemptions from work test obligations for home schooling are relatively infrequent and consequently the overall number of exemptions is low.

Provided the parent has met both Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social Development criteria to home school their child this would be acceptable to meet the obligation to ensure their child is enrolled in school. ln my letter to Samuel Blight I indicated that the Ministry of Education had advised that although most people do not apply to Ministry of Education for home schooling until their child is near age six there is nothing to stop a parent applying to Ministry of Education to home-school their child from age five.

Following your discussion yesterday morning my officials have clarified this matter with Ministry of Education. You are correct in stating that the Ministry of Education exemption is not issued until the legal requirement to attend school commences at age six. This has previously not been a concern because the part-time work obligations for beneficiaries did not apply until the youngest child is six years of age. My officials assure me they are looking in to this matter and guidelines will be developed to ensure parents who want to home-school their children from age five and meet other requirements are not disadvantaged by this delay.

You have also expressed concern that if a family has to go on to benefit they will be subject to social obligations immediately. If a person is home schooling a school aged child before becoming a beneficiary with work obligations then an exemption can be granted until the end of that school year. The parent would need to have their exemption certificate from the Ministry of Education and provide proof of restricted circumstances that makes their child’s attendance at school unreasonable in line with the Ministry of Social Development’s policy.

The finaI point I would like to make clear is that all decisions regarding home-schooling exemptions are made at Work and Income Service Centre Manager level to ensure consistency.

I trust this has helped to address some of your concerns regarding obligations for beneficiaries and how they relate to home schooling.

As you are aware, submissions are being accepted by Select Committee up until 1 November 2012 on the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill. I continue to encourage you and other concerned home-schooling parents to make a submission that the Committee can consider before it reports back to Parliament early next year

Yours sincerely

Hon Paula Bennett
Minister for Social Development

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Related Links:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 5 October 2012:  One year on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

http://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

http://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:
http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

*******************************

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

http://hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

Why should I put a submission into the Select Committee about the beneficiaries?

Monday, October 29th, 2012

Greetings

We only have just over 5 more days for getting submissions in to the Select Committee to stop the Government from making ECE and immunisations compulsory for beneficiaries. All the information you need is here: http://hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

Some of us think why should we be doing anything that will not affect us?

Let me assure you that you do not know when this could affect you. You do not know when you might become a widow, become unemployed, or have sickness in your family.

So please think again. And put in a submission.

When Ruby Harrold-Claesson (the Swedish lawyer) was here in New Zealand a few years ago she talked about the “tryanny of the small steps”. The Government knows that they can’t make huge changes all at once so they do it in little steps in ways that people can’t see what they are doing.

Well this Bill, I am convinced, is to make ECE and immunisations COMPULSORY for all children down the line. The Government is taking it is small steps and thinking that if they bring it in under the idea of reducing benefits then it might be accepted. Well just read the “White Paper” or the “Supporting Vulnerable Children” pamphlet. This is what they say:

Result 2: Early childhood education: In 2016, 98 per cent of children starting school will have participated in quality early childhood education.

Result 3: Immunisation: Increase infant immunisation rates so that 95 per cent of eight month olds are fully immunised by December 2014 and this is maintained until 30 June 2017.

Result 4: Assaults on children: By 2017, we aim to halt the rise in children experiencing physical abuse and reduce current numbers by five per cent. —- (Why is Result 4 one ONLY 5%?)

These are yours and my children. They mostly don’t go to ECE and are mostly not immunised.

Paula Bennett eventually (2016 for ECE and 2014 for immunisations) wants this to be for almost ALL children. 98% for ECE and 95% for immunisations is almost all children and only 5% reduction in abuse of children. It is our children Paula Bennett is after not the abused children.

So please think again and put in a submission for your children and grandchildren.

All the information you need is here: http://hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/

35 submissions already put in are here: http://hef.org.nz/beneficiaries/submissions/

To make an online submissions click here and go to the bottom of the page: http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/SC/MakeSub/2/d/6/50SCSS_SCF_00DBHOH_BILL11634_1-Social-Security-Benefit-Categories.htm

This Bill MUST be rejected. Please ask for it to be totally rejected in your submissions. Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Links:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/

Updated 5 October 2012:  One year on (Craig Smith’s Health) page 7 click here

*****

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

http://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

http://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

http://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:
http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

*******************************

Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill

http://hef.org.nz/2012/make-a-submission-reject-compulsory-early-education-for-3-year-olds/