4. Children – Article 7 a.) Please provide information about how the voices of disabled children and young people are sought and considered in relation to decisions and processes (such as compliance processes) that affect them. b.) Please provide information about what impacts the recently formed Ministry for Vulnerable Children has had on children and young people with disabilities in the care and protection system. c.) What actions are being taken to ensure that disabled children and their families receive services that are well co-ordinated across the social sector? 5. Historic abuse – Article 7 a.) In regard to the Ministry of Social Development’s processes for redressing historic abuse in state care, please provide information on the progress in resolution of the complaints made in these processes and advise of any other outstanding issues. b.) What steps are the Government taking to conduct prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into all allegations of ill-treatment of disabled people in State care – including healthcare institutions? c.) Does the Government accept that systemic abuse of disabled people took place? What steps has the Government taken to fully understand and publicly acknowledge this? d.) Did the Government act on all the recommendations made by Judge Henwood in her final report of the ‘Some Memories Never Fade–Confidential Listening and Advice Service 2015’?3 If not, why not? e.) What response does the Government have to the conclusions and recommendations of the Donald Beasley Institute’s report, ‘Institutions are places of abuse: The experiences of disabled children and adults in State care.’4 f.) What are the processes the Government has in place to ensure there is no current abuse occurring for people with disabilities in State care? 6. Accessibility of government information – Article 9 a.) Which organisations have been notified to assess and report on their conformance with the Web Accessibility Standards?5 3 Accessed 28 August 2017: https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Confidential-Listening-andAssistance/$file/Confidential-Listening-and-Assistance-Service-Final-Report-Some-Memories-NeverFade.pdf 4 Mirfin-Veitch, B. & Conder, J. (2017). “Institutions are places of abuse”: The experiences of disabled children and adults in State care. Dunedin: Donald Beasley Institute. 5 Accessed 29 August 2017: https://webtoolkit.govt.nz/ Page 4