Child, Youth and Family (New Zealand)

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Child, Youth and Family (CYF) was a New Zealand government agency from 1999 to 2017. In Māori, Te Tari Awhina i te Tamaiti, te Rangatahi, tae atu ki te Whānau. It had the power to intervene to protect children who were being abused or neglected or who had behavioural problems. It worked with the Police and Courts, especially in youth justice.

CYF provided care and residential services for children in need and for young offenders. It assessed people who wanted to adopt children and reported to the Family Court on adoption cases. It also helped share information about past adoptions and funded community groups that support children, young people and families.

CYF came from earlier government work to protect children. It started in the education system as the Child Welfare Division, then joined with the Social Security Department in 1972 to form the Department of Social Welfare. In 1992, it became the New Zealand Children and Young Persons Service (CYPS), later renamed the Children, Young Persons and their Families Agency (CYPFA). In 1999 it became the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS). In 2006, it was merged into the Ministry of Social Development as a unit called Child, Youth and Family (CYF). It remained under MSD until April 2017, when CYF was replaced by the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, now Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children.

MSD administered related laws, focusing on protecting at-risk children, managing youth offending, and handling adoptions through the Adoption Information and Services Unit. The agency also funded a range of community services for families.

In 2007, a blog called CYFS Watch criticized the agency and published personal details of several CYFS workers. The ministry complained to Google, and the site was removed after threats were made against a Member of Parliament.