What makes your family tick?

This report is the final part of the Families with Dependent Children – Successful Outcomes project.   It analyses public submissions about what makes families strong, the challenges they face, the choices they made to improve family life, and what would make things better for their families.

 

The factors that influence New Zealand families are complex and interrelated as described by the 3,673 public submissions that form the basis of this report. It is the culmination of the Families with Dependent Children – Successful Outcomes project. That project identifies the most important issues impacting families and provides foundations for an effective analysis of family life.

 

The report identifies and analyses key factors which enhance or challenge family wellbeing:

The analysis uses an ecological framework to organise and understand key findings. This framework conceptualises the family environment as a series of four concentric systems surrounding the individual: family, community, institutional, and society. This framework enables better understanding of how factors both inside and outside the family’s immediate control can influence their lives. This in turn provides guidance about the areas that may require change to enhance family life.

 

The information in this report will guide future development and advocacy work of the Families Commission, and will be used by other government agencies and community groups to improve their policies and services for families.