Darroch Ball MP

Spokesperson for Social Development
24 SEPTEMBER 2015

Yet Another Report While Our Vulnerable Children Wait

Seven years on and the government is still unable to take any action on the appalling outcomes for New Zealand children in state care, says New Zealand First.

“With children at real risk of further harm, all the government has managed to do is release yet another report,” says New Zealand First Spokesperson for Social Development Darroch Ball.

“When 90 per cent of young people in state care are on a benefit before they reach 21, we want to know why the government hasn’t addressed their needs.

“They either have an investment strategy or they don’t,” says Mr Ball.

“We expected to see measures put in place to address the ongoing issues of Child Youth and Family well before the final report from the expert advisory panel.

“The panel’s report simply re-confirmed that we can no longer trust CYFS to look after our vulnerable children and that we have a huge job to do to fix the current situation.

“We have no confidence in the emerging system either, especially when today’s report confirms the governments new Children’s Teams are not working either.

“These children can’t wait for years. The government needs to act urgently to secure the safety of our children and their futures,” says Mr Ball.

ENDS

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