Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill
This bill makes several changes to protect children and young people in care. It bans strip searches of children in youth facilities and instead sets up proper search rules using body scanners. It requires a personal search plan for each child that takes into account their needs and past experiences. It also stops people convicted of sexual offences involving minors from working with children, and gives the government stronger powers to check that agencies are keeping proper records.
What this affects
Tap a topic to see how this bill touches it — with the parts of the text it’s based on.
Strip searches of children in youth facilities are abolished, and new search rules using body scanners must respect each child's dignity and personal needs.
Section 384E repealed (Child or young person may be strip searched) — Repeal section 384E.
The chief executive must approve a search plan developed for each child or young person placed in a residence that reflects the child's or young person's particular needs and preferences relating to how any search of the child or young person should be conducted and by whom.
the need to uphold the mana and dignity of the child or young person to the greatest extent possible
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
Submissions open once a bill reaches the select committee stage. In the meantime, you can write to your local MP about it.
Write to your MPBill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.