Published September 2022

The purpose of the report is to evaluate the first two years of the Mana Whānau programme, to identify the approach, key components and delivery mechanisms, determine how well it is working, capture the outcomes and recommend
improvements and next steps.

Mana Whānau is a six-month, intensive, in-home parenting support programme designed to keep tamariki who are on the edge of care, or have been removed by Oranga Tamariki,
safely living within their own whānau and communities. The programme was developed by Lifewise in Auckland in 2017 following an initial pilot in 2015. It was subsequently adopted by Wesley Community Action in Porirua in early 2019. Due to
the successful outcomes for whānau, the programme was scaled up, with a second Lifewise team starting in October 2019.

The programme is intensive, whānau-led and is based on a theory of change which contends reducing toxic stressors can free up the mental bandwidth required for parents to care for
their tamariki effectively and, where necessary, build new skills and capabilities. It is grounded in the latest neuroscientific research, developed in a New Zealand context and driven by a ‘whatever it takes’ and ‘what works’ approach. (From the Executive summary). Record #7855