What is this service?
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Permanent Caregiver Support Service (PCSS)
From 1 July 2016 the Permanent Caregiver Support Service (PCSS) has been supporting caregivers providing permanent homes for children and young people who cannot live with their parents. Support required is coordinated by the PCSS, a social service provided by Turuki Healthcare under delegated authority from the Chief Executive of Ministry for Children, Oranga Tamariki.
The PCSS team are qualified/registered social workers and caseworkers, available to permanent caregivers from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday apart from statutory holidays.
The service provides financial and other assistance to permanent caregivers, both kin and non kin, in accordance with the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.
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Permanent Caregivers - requests for financial and other assistance
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Permanent caregivers already providing permanent care for a child or young person placed by Ministry for Children, Oranga Tamariki or an approved social service provider can contact the PCSS at any time up until the child or young person in their care is 18 to request financial and other assistance. A PCSS social worker/caseworker will discuss what a caregiver may be entitled to based on the criteria in the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 and what is required to meet the needs of the child. Once approved planned support will be provided to caregivers to help meet the needs of the child or young person.
If you are not happy with a decision the PCSS make about the support you have requested, you can talk to us about having decisions reviewed and/or access the Review of Decision form from the FAQs section of this website. The form will need to be sent or emailed to the Ministry for Children, Oranga Tamariki. The Ministry will review the decision and communicate directly with you.
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Caregivers in the Process of Applying for Permanent Legal Orders - referrals for financial and other assistance
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The PCSS will manage referrals from Ministry for Children, Oranga Tamariki an approved social service provider for caregivers contemplating, or in the process of, taking permanent orders for a child placed in their care. The referring social worker will consult with the PCSS social worker/caseworker as they are working with the caregiver to develop a support plan. This support plan, once agreed to, can provide support for up to 12 months. The PCSS will implement this plan once orders are made and coordinate the support agreed to in the plan.
At the end of the plan period the PCSS will review the plan to see whether the caregiver needs ongoing support and, if so, what support is required for the caregiver to be able to meet the needs of the child. Any support agreed to must meet the criteria in s388A of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.