A dedicated independent advocacy service for children, Voyce - Whakarongo Mai, has launched alongside the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki.
Tupua Urlich Photo: supplied
Until now, there has been no such service specifically for children and young people in state care.
Tupua Urlich, a 21-year-old youth advocate who spent much of his childhood in foster homes, said Voyce would be a way of bringing young people in care together.
"We have a lot to give each other. There are over 5000 young people in care - no one should feel isolated in the system, everyone should feel empowered," he said.
"It's a way of getting us together and getting that really powerful message to the system."
Auckland firm Dingwall Trust's director Tracie Shipton was involved in designing the service, and said it would provide support if children had complaints and connect them with other young people who had similar experiences.
She said it would also be a mechanism to give children a collective voice to influence the government's new care and protection system.
Voyce is an independent non-government organisation, but is also involved in Oranga Tamariki's decision-making processes, as well as the deisgn and operation of the care and protection system.
Ms Shipton said she was confident the government would listen to what Voyce had to say because the government pushed for it to be set up.
"The government want it. Why? Because they know that previous organisations that they've had, previous systems they've had, haven't worked and what's been missing is the voice of young people.
"It's a no-brainer for everyone, but you've got that commitment."
Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss said she saw Voyce as an important partner.
She expected she would be able to have robust, real conversations about what was happening to children in state care and what would actually make a difference.
