Document from an official source

A young person can provide a document from an official source to verify their Parental Support Gap.

An official source means a trustworthy, authorised origin like a government department or a person in a role with legal or administrative powers.

For a document to be used to verify a Parental Support Gap, MSD must be satisfied that the:

• official source is relevant to the circumstances of the Parental Support Gap and
• document relates to the declared Parental Support Gap

Note a document from an official source does not include a document completed or signed by a young person e.g. an affidavit or statutory declaration.

Examples of official sources and documents

The public service means crown agents (also known as statutory entities), and the following public service agencies:

• departments
• departmental agencies
• interdepartmental executive boards
• interdepartmental ventures

Only a document from a crown agent or public service department can be used to verify a Parental Support Gap. This is because they are the only areas of the public service with functions that mean they may have official knowledge of a young person's Parental Support Gap.

Crown agents include:

• Accident Compensation Corporation
• Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand

Public service departments include:

• Department of Corrections
• Department of Internal Affairs
• Ministry of Justice
• Ministry of Health
• Oranga Tamariki

Note MSD is a public service department, but it is not an official source for verifying a Parental Support Gap.