Social Development Minister Anne Tolley cannot guarantee children cared for by the state are any better off than they were during a 50-year period of brutal abuse.



But a full-scale overhaul of Child Youth and Family (CYF), implemented by the minister, would provide the recommendations needed to ensure they were.



The results from the panel conducting that review were expected before Cabinet in the next month, with a business case for change expected by the end of the year.



Answering questions in the house, over the length of time some historic abuse claimants had been waiting for a settlement, Tolley said the point of her CYF review was to put children first.



"As Minister of Social Development I have put in place a panel to redesign the CYF system, because I cannot give that guarantee that children in state care today are better off."



Under questioning from Labour's children's spokeswoman Jacinda Ardern, Tolley said a generation of children had been let down.



"I think it's important to remember that the historic claims process is dealing with the claims of people who were in state care from the 1940s to 1992," she said.



"I don't think there's a member in this house who would not apologise to anyone in state care and was abused during that time.



"We all want to see that claims process completed and those people get their recognition for the trauma they've suffered."



Her comments come after the release the final report of the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service which detailed the harrowing experiences of children at the hands of people who were meant to keep them safe.



The report heard evidence from more than 1100 people who grew up in foster homes, institutions, asylums, health camps and borstals from the early 1940s up to 1992.



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The Government had implemented a "fast track" settlement process to quickly settle claims for compensation and apologies for the victims of state-abuse during that period.



Ardern cited the case of one man, who was a state ward between 1966 and 1973.



In a letter, he described his time at Kohitere Boys Training Centre and Epuni Boys home in Porirua. He was sexually abused by a male caregiver on two occasions, which lead him to attempt to commit suicide - something for which he faced further punishment and abuse.



He had been waiting for a settlement on his claim for more than 10 years.



Because he was involved in a legal process, Tolley was unable to comment directly the man's case outside the house.



"But I do acknowledge that some of these claims are taking far too long to administer, and that this can often be emotional and traumatic for those involved," she said.



"This is why we recently introduced an optional fast-track process for claimants which, subject to checking some key facts, leads to a prompt financial payment and a letter of apology from the Ministry of Social Development Chief Executive.



"Eighty two per cent of the first group of claimants, who have no legal representation, have been made an offer and have accepted it. The second tranche of claimants, who do have legal representation, will also soon be made offers. "



In a written answer in May, Tolley advised that the Historic Claims Team had 247 settlement offers that had not yet been responded to.