Whole Child Approach

A guide to applying the whole child approach

Whole Child Approach is a publication produced under Action Area 1 of New Zealand’s Agenda for Children: Making life better for children.

The whole child approach is designed to ensure that the development of policy and services takes account of the needs and rights of children. This is achieved by requiring, where possible, that the views of children are incorporated into policy-making and service development and that policies and services contribute to the healthy development and wellbeing of all children.

The guide has three main parts:

Part one provides practical information on how to apply the whole child approach.

Part two provides a rationale for the whole child approach by summarising and discussing the concepts that underpin it.

Part three provides examples of how the whole child approach is being applied both nationally and internationally.