Child, Youth and Family (CYF; in Māori, Te Tari Awhina i te Tamaiti, te Rangatahi, tae atu ki te Whānau), was the government agency that had legal powers to intervene to protect and help children who are being abused or neglected or who have problem behaviour until it was replaced by a new Ministry for Vulnerable Children in April 2017. CYF worked with the Police and the Courts in dealing with young offenders under the youth justice system. It provided residential and care services for children in need of care and protection and for young offenders. CYF assessed people who wished to adopt children and it reported to the Family Court on adoption applications. CYF facilitated the exchange of identifying information for parties to past adoptions. The agency also funded community organisations working with children, young people and their families to support the community's role in protecting and helping children. History Child, Youth and Family had its origins in the Child Welfare Division of the Department of Education. On 1 April 1972, the division was merged with the Social Security Department to form the Department of Social Welfare. That department was reorganised on 1 May 1992 into business units, including the New Zealand Children and Young Persons Service (CYPS), which was subsequently renamed the Children, Young Persons and their Families Agency (CYPFA), to align its name with the legislation it was administering. On 1 October 1999 it was established as a separate Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS). Then, on 1 July 2006, it was amalgamated back into the Ministry of Social Development as a business unit under the name Child, Youth and Family (CYF). Child, Youth and Family became a functional unit of the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), following the 2006 merger of the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) and MSD. Until April 2017, CYF fell under the portfolio of the Minister for Social Development. In April 2017, after the passage of enacting legislation, CYF was replaced by the Ministry for Vulnerable Children (now Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children). Legislation MSD administered, or was involved in administering, the following CYF-related legislation: Adoption Act 1955, Adult Adoption Information Act 1985, Adoption (Intercountry) Act 1997, Care of Children Act 2004, Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989, Disabled Persons Community Welfare Act 1975, Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988. Responsibilities Protecting