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Every young person in a residence deserves a safe place to live, learn and grow. Every worker deserves to return home safely after their shift. NUPE has continued to raise concerns that the conditions needed to deliver both are too often missing from Oranga Tamariki residences.
Our members have reported staffing shortages, excessive overtime and fatigue, serious assaults, gaps in training and supervision, and inconsistent operational practice. When a residence is stretched, staff can be left trying to manage complex risks while also keeping daily care and programmes running. That pressure affects the safety of both workers and young people.
NUPE has taken these concerns to residential leaders and senior Oranga Tamariki management. We have called for immediate action on the floor while longer-term work on residential services continues. Serious violence must never become an accepted part of the job.
Put the Bow Tie actions into practice
The Bow Tie risk assessment identified controls intended to prevent assaults and reduce harm when incidents occur. NUPE is calling on Oranga Tamariki to show which actions have been completed, which remain outstanding, and whether the controls are working in practice.
Each outstanding action needs an accountable owner and a clear timeframe. Frontline workers and their representatives must be involved in checking that the changes work on every shift, in every unit. Where a control is still missing, an effective interim safety measure is needed now.
Build safety into the daily operation of residences
Safe residences depend on a set of basic building blocks working together:
Safe staffing levels: Enough trained and experienced people on each shift to match the risks and needs of the young people in their care, respond to incidents, cover absences and prevent fatigue.
Ongoing training: Proper induction and regular development so staff have the skills and confidence to work safely and consistently.
Effective supervision: Time for guidance, reflection and support, with leaders available to make sound decisions and help staff respond to risk.
Quality programmes: Meaningful educational, cultural, therapeutic and recreational opportunities that engage young people and support their development.
A structured day: A reliable daily routine that gives young people purpose, connection and clear expectations, backed by the staff and resources to deliver it.
These building blocks cannot be treated as extras to fit around an understaffed roster. When staffing is too thin, training is postponed, supervision is squeezed and programmes fall away. Risk grows for everyone.
NUPE will keep advocating for safe staffing, consistent practice, strong leadership and the full implementation of the Bow Tie actions. Oranga Tamariki must resource residences to operate safely today while building the quality of care young people deserve for the future.
