9 September 2025

Youth Health Webinar Series - Dr Russell Wills: Drivers and Solutions for Youth Offending

This webinar presented by Dr Russell Wills takes place at NZ 8pm on 9 September 2025.

Oranga Tamariki (OT), the statutory child protection body in Aotearoa New Zealand, has asked Te Whatu Ora Health NZ to review the clinical model of care in OT residences and advise on how this could be improved. The Gateway Programme, a health and education assessment for children who come into statutory care is also under review. Both work streams are overseen by the Te Whatu Ora Child Protection Clinical Governance Group (CPCGG) and happening in the context of a newly-elected government that has made reducing adolescent offending and child abuse priorities for this term.

CPCGG Chair and paediatrician Dr Russell Wills will discuss the epidemiology of child abuse, neglect and adolescent offending in Aotearoa NZ, the background to both reviews, what we know is working well and not, and early thoughts about how both programmes can be improved.

Bio:

Dr Russell Wills

Russell is a community and general paediatrician and Medical Director of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board in Hastings. He is the current chair of the Paediatric Society of NZ Child and Youth Clinical Network and Te Whatu Ora Health NZ Child Protection Clinical Governance Group. 

 

Russell trained in medicine in Otago and in paediatrics in Hampshire UK and Australia including community paediatric training and a Master of Public Health in Brisbane. He worked for Plunket, the Wellington School of Medicine and Wellington Hospital 1999-2001, has been a general and community paediatrician at Hawke’s Bay Hospital in Hastings since August 2001, and was New Zealand’s Children’s Commissioner for five years until June 2016. 

 

Russell’s main interests are in intersectoral community interventions for children and young people with complex medical, behavioural and family issues. He lives in Hawke’s Bay and is married with two adult sons.

 

This webinar presented by Dr Russell Wills takes place at NZ 8pm on 9 September 2025.

 

As part of our ongoing partnership with the Australian Association for Adolescent Health (AAAH) we are pleased to offer continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for youth health professionals.

This series is part of the RACP’s Specialty Society Webinar Service, developed in collaboration with affiliated Specialty Societies including Youth Health Aotearoa to support Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for clinicians.

 

Register