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Social work now : the practice journal of Child, Youth and Family, August 2005, 31: 12-18

This article outlines the development and production of personal kits for children and young people in care in New Zealand. The kits followed a recommendation made in the ministerial review undertaken by former Principal Youth Court Judge Mick Brown in 2000. The article describes the methods used in the participatory project used to decide what the kits should look like and contain. The review had suggested the kits contain age appropriate information about being in care and their rights, a scrap book and personal record of being in care, and a named bag or backpack for their belongings. The article describes the items suggested by children and young people and the range of items decided upon in various circumstances. At the time of publication, over 6,000 complete kits have been distributed, 45 per cent to children aged seven and under and the remainder to those over eight years of age. Feedback to date is positive, but with some concerns that not all children in care are getting the resource kits when they should. Further evaluation is needed to determine whether the pack is still meeting the needs of children and young people in care. Several key learnings emerged through the exercise including confirmation that children and young people prioritise being listened to over getting their own way, and that when given the opportunity and information, children and young people can make informed decisions that are purposeful and practical. The authors note that following this exercise opportunities were explored to engage young people in care further, especially in service policy and resource development: at the time of publication, approval had been received for a youth in care reference group to be established under the leadership of the Chief Social Worker's Office.