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Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development v RT [2016] NZFC 4832

Published 31 August 2016

Supervised access order — Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act, ss 4(c) and 13. Interim access order discharged and new access order made providing parents with supervised access hours. Access was not to be reduced in anyway and could be increased on agreement between parents and the Ministry. The outcome reflected a fundamental principle of the Act that where a child has been removed because of care and protection issues, then every opportunity must be afforded to make change, sustain it and maintain and strengthen parental-child relationships (s 13(2)(b), (c) and (f)(ii) and (v)). Despite past issues of transience, substance abuse and family violence the parents had made “truly incredible changes” in their respective lives. * * * Note: names have been changed to comply with legal requirements. * * *