As the fourth Independent Children's Monitor report into National Care Standards is released, there’s disappointment and frustration that tamariki and rangatahi in care are still not receiving the bare minimum set out by the regulations.

200 young people and 1600 others who support them including whanau, caregivers, social workers and teachers formed part of the report, which also revealed an increase in abuse and harm despite the overall number of tamariki and rangatahi in care reducing.

VOYCE - Whakarongo Mai has been advocating for care experienced tamariki since 2017, and CEO Tracie Shipton says unfortunately the report confirms what the organisation already knew.

“We’ve known for a long time that these standards just aren’t being met. We know from the experiences of the many young people we work with everyday, and we know from the stories of the many people who work with them.”

“Sadly this is a narrative that remains unchanged, as each time this report comes out there seems to be barely any improvement. We are risking another Royal Commission into Abuse in Care if we continue on this trajectory.”

The report also highlights the immense pressure on social workers, many of whom are overworked and overextended, a funding system that doesn’t follow the child and the fact that young people aren’t prioritised for government services.

But while the findings are mostly aimed at Oranga Tamariki, Shipton says the organisation doesn’t exist in a vacuum and any response requires a cross government approach.

“In order for things to improve there are a whole raft of other departments like the health and education sector that also need to come to the party. Tamariki and rangatahi are missing out on basic things due to the inefficiencies that run deep within them.”

Shipton says all agencies need to take their responsibility to these young people seriously and stop squabbling about whose turn it is to pay the bills.

“This report well and truly highlights a systemic failure. The sad thing is that there are many people on the frontline who are doing great things, but there’s only so much they can do while stuck in a system that continues to fail both them and our young people.”

Care-experienced advocate Lisa Mclaren was failed by the system while trying to access proper healthcare, and an inconsistent and often fractured approach left her to grapple with issues surrounding dental care and mental health.

“I’m especially shocked to see the statistics on social worker and caregiver changeovers in this report, and as always when it comes to findings like these, there are more hills to climb and a multi-operational response required to address these concerns.”

“This has shown that tamariki and rangatahi in state care are simply asking for stability within their support network. It’s not a huge ask but can and will prove to be a huge issue down the road if not addressed promptly.”

Care-experienced advocate Ihorangi Reweti Peters was uplifted from his parents at six months old, and has been through 21 different placements across the country since entering state care at the age of 10.

He says no tamariki or rangatahi in the care and protection of Oranga Tamariki should be abused.

“These are some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Aotearoa."

“They deserve to have their basic needs met which includes healthcare. Only 56% of children and young people are enrolled with a GP, but every young person in care needs to be enrolled with a GP.”

A large majority of children who end up in youth justice facilities have been abused and neglected through some part of the care system, and Tracie Shipton says there’s a lot of hypocrisy in the fact that the government is trying to introduce a more punitive approach towards them.

“The focus has been about ‘punishing’ these kids for acting out and breaking the rules. But where is the accountability for the system that’s charged with caring for these children and isn’t following the rules either?”

“Perhaps if we stuck to the standards and gave these young people the help and support they needed, they wouldn’t end up in these facilities in the first place?”

Shipton says enough is enough.

“It’s not ok to take a child and place them in a system that fails to meet their most basic care needs. So I ask New Zealanders, "Do you think this care system would be good enough for your child to be in?”

View the full Independent Children’s Monitor report here https://aroturuki.govt.nz/reports

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