CYF registrations increase

National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins says Labour continues to fail the children of New Zealand.

“CYF now has as many children registered on its books as a town the size of Timaru.”

Ms Collins is commenting on figures that show the number of children registered with CYF has increased from 24,624 in June 2001 to 27,724 in March this year, with three months still left to go in the June-to-June cycle.

The biggest increase has been in the registrations of under 2’s. The numbers have more than doubled from 1,766 in 2001 to 4,730.

“Labour has spent $30 million on the Families Commission, and its much talked about ‘Agenda For Children’ appears to be in a constant holding pattern. Meanwhile many thousands more of our most vulnerable children are falling into the hands of the state.

“That’s why National is putting parental and personal responsibility at the core of its welfare and justice policies.

“This isn’t just about giving CYF the resources they need to do the job, this is also about properly equipping parents, including those on welfare. So far we have seen little evidence that any of the policies put in place by Labour are likely to make a sustained difference.

“The best way to keep these kids out of the system is to promote a culture where parents are expected to be responsible. For those depending on the taxpayer for financial support that should mean things like making sure their children attend school, stay out of trouble and get regular health and dental checks.

“Of course, none of this means children should not be removed from abusive situations.

“Youth suicide rates are still unacceptably high by world standards, child poverty continues to be a significant issue and beneficiary numbers are projected to rise over the next four years if Labour wins the election.

“After six years, it’s clear there is little hope that these disturbing trends will turn around under Labour,” says Ms Collins.

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