Seven Years on And National is in No Rush to Help Children

Seven years under a National government has done nothing to improve the appalling outcomes for New Zealand children in state care, says New Zealand First.

“We join New Zealanders who are fed up with endless reviews, green papers, white papers, consultations and overhauls by this government, and we sit in a state of disbelief at the number of children still being abused in Child Youth and Family care,” says New Zealand First Spokesperson for Social Development Darroch Ball.

“We can no longer trust Child Youth and Family to look after vulnerable kids. That this has knowingly been the case for too long is unacceptable.

“The Children Commissioner’s report claims that the longer a child spends in CYF care they are more likely to come to harm.

“Minister of Social Development Anne Tolley agreed in Parliament today that the system wasn’t working.

“New Zealand First has no confidence in the emerging system either and we are concerned at reports that the new Children’s Teams are malfunctioning under many limitations, including lack of additional funding and ‘a design as we go’ approach to their structure.

“It is clear that many of the 5000 children in care at any given time are at risk and the government has turned a blind eye while funding an endless barrage of reports, expert groups and papers,” says Mr Ball.

“These children can’t wait for another Rebstock revolution to nowhere.”

(Paula Rebstock was appointed by the government to lead an expert panel to overhaul CYF).

ENDS

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