Released under the Official Information Act, 24 August 2015

The Confidential Listening and Assistance Service was established in 2008 by he Government as an independent agency supported by the Department of Internal Affairs. Its purpose is set out in the Terms of Reference. This final report comes with the closure of the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service. The six sections are briefly described. Part One: This section gives an overview of the service, initial challenges in its establishment and concerns identified by participants who told their story to the pane. Part Two: This section details the process used by the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service, how the Service engaged with the participants, the assistance provided by the Service and State agencies and what was achieved. Part Three: This section describes the voices of the New Zealanders who came forward - the consistent themes that we heard in their stories and the common legacies of the effect from their time in care. These common themes become a suggested platform for reform of the state care system today. Part Four: This section considers what has been learnt by listening to the stories of participants and provides suggestions for a way forward for children in State care. Part Five: This section comments on the closure of the Service and the settlement of historic claims (this section has been partly redacted in the publicly released document). Part Six: Recommendations (this section has been partly redacted in the publicly released document). Record #4793