In the care of Oranga Tamariki
Where a child or young person is in the care, custody or sole guardianship of the Chief Executive of Oranga Tamariki, the cost of the child's care is the responsibility of Oranga Tamariki and it is responsible for making payments under the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989. The child is not considered a dependent child and Unsupported Childs Benefit cannot be paid.
However, where there is a sole guardianship order in favour of the Chief Executive of Oranga Tamariki but the child or young person is in the custody of the caregiver, the caregiver may be entitled to Unsupported Childs Benefit if all other criteria are met.
Where Oranga Tamariki is involved, but there are no orders or agreements about care, the child can be considered a dependent child (for example when Oranga Tamariki provides services to family groups under a Family Group Conference plan only).
For information on different orders and whether they mean the child can be considered a dependent child while the order is still in place, see:
Parents as caregivers
When a child is returned to the care of a parent by Oranga Tamariki the child can be considered as a dependent child and included in a main benefit that the parent is receiving.
This is regardless of whether or not the parent was the immediate previous caregiver of the child.
For more information see:
