the traffic light system
the traffic light system will help you to make sure that you are on track
If you’ve recently been sanctioned you will now see a traffic light colour in MyMSD. By mid 2025 everyone will see their traffic light colour.
the traffic light system explained
The traffic light system lets you know where you're at and what you need to do.
- If you're at green, you're on track and meeting your obligations.
- You'll move to orange if you don't meet your obligations and you don't have a good reason. This means you need to contact your youth coach straight away. If you don't contact us and get back on track within 5 working days, you'll move to red.
- Once you're at red, your payments will reduce or stop. This means you need to contact your youth coach immediately to get back on track.
If there's any reason why you can't meet your obligations, talk to your youth coach straight away. If you haven't been in touch, they'll try and contact you before you move to orange, to find out why you haven't met your obligations.
We'll send you a letter to let you know if you're at orange or red. From early October, you'll also see in MyMSD what traffic light colour you're at.
what your obligations are
When you are getting Youth Payment, Young Parent Payment, or payments as a partner of someone receiving a main benefit their are things you need to do, we call these your obligations.
If you don't have children in your care you have three types of obligations:
- Engagement – you need to catch up with your youth coach regularly.
- Budgeting – You'll need to work with your youth coach to set up payments for your accommodation, bills and debts. You'll also need to do a budgeting course and have regular discussions with your youth coach.
- Education – you will need to be in education, training or work-based learning. If your not in education at the moment your youth coach will help you to find the right kind of education for you.
If you have children in your care you'll have a forth type of obligation:
- Parenting – you will need to do a parenting course, and the children your looking after will need to be:
- enrolled with a health practitioner or medical centre
- up to date with their Well Child Tamariki Ora checks
- in Early Childhood Education or school.
You do not have work obligations, instead you have education obligations. Youth Service is here to support you to live a safe strong and independent life and the best way to make that happen is making sure you take the time when you are young to learn what you need to know to get into a career that's right for you.
what happens when you are at orange or red
If you're at orange, it means you have not met your obligations.
Contact your youth coach straight away and they'll arrange a time to meet with you. At your appointment they'll talk to you about why you haven't met your obligations.
If you don't contact us and get back on track within 5 working days, you'll move to red and your payments will reduce or stop.
If you have a good reason for not meeting your obligations
If you have a good reason, we'll move you back to green at your appointment.
If you don't have a good reason for not meeting your obligations
At your appointment we'll arrange for you to do an activity.
If you don't do the activity within 5 working days from when you moved to orange, you'll move to red and your payments will reduce or stop.
You'll move back to green as soon as you do the activity.
If you're at red, this means your payment has reduced or stopped.
Whether your payments will reduce or stop depends on how many times you haven't met your obligations in the last year. It could be the first, second or third time in the last year.
Contact your youth coach immediately if you're at red and haven't arranged to do an activity to get back on track.