$200m budget allocated to fight truancy and crime

A team with a $200 million budget will be charged with rescuing 30,000 teenagers from truancy and crime.

Justice Minister Simon Power and Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples will unveil today various plans to attack the "drivers of crime".

The announcement comes after a summit of 100 people, including academics and gang members, at Parliament in April.

Among the plans, the Education Ministry will re-form a behaviour working group, asked to direct a package worth $200m. It will be charged with oversight of truancy, violence in schools, and school dropouts.

The group includes teacher and principal unions, the School Trustees Association and early childhood education representatives.

Education Minister Anne Tolley said yesterday she had added a representative from the Alternative Education programme and is looking for another from truancy services.

The group was used to develop a plan to deal with classroom misbehaviour, after a summit in March.

There have also been reviews of alternative education, truancy services and specialised behaviour management teachers completed this year.

Service providers would be on notice to perform next year, Mrs Tolley said.

She is part of a group of ministers who have been working on measures to attack the causes of crime.

About 30,000 children were absent from school on a typical day, she said.

"We know that they are drivers of crime. Disengagement, bad behaviour all lead to kids getting in the Youth Court and once they're in the Youth Court cycle, chances are they are going to end up in the adult courts and in our prisons."

OECD data shows more than a quarter of teenagers quit school early, giving New Zealand the second-worst dropout rate in the developed world.

Mrs Tolley said the Government would expect more accountability from schools but would also give them more scope to find their own solutions.

"Schools have a huge role to play but so do parents," Mrs Tolley said.

Other plans announced today will cover the ministries of Justice, Health and Youth Affairs.