NZ’s Appalling Child Abuse Figures

28 June 2006

Pointing The Finger Will Not Change NZ’s Appalling Child Abuse Figures

A Christchurch based child support agency for high risk families is welcoming the Government’s announcement that a working group is to review the findings of a ministerial task force which has been looking at child abuse.

The Family Help Trust says the time for talking is over; now effective action putting proven, independently evaluated programmes must be put in place.

Trust Chair, Sally Thompson, says getting into the high-risk families, as soon as possible and committing resources to that family for up to five years is where their success has come from.

“What is so frustrating about this whole, appalling, child abuse issue is we believe it can be dealt with,” she says.

Sally Thompson says using the community agencies and groups that already have an insight into the homes and lives of what they call “high risk” families, and then using those agencies to refer pregnant women and / or the families to organisations like Family Help Trust would provide the support and safety net some families need.

“We have successfully been carrying out this type of work for more than a decade now. The reason we do this work is because we see the difference it is making. Our families learn a better, a safer way to live and then the children pass that on to their children and so on,” she says.

Mrs Thompson says working intensively with families at the high end of the risk spectrum, as early as possible is not a new idea.

“Justice Roper penned the Roper report in 1987. In that he talked about the importance of stable family life and how generational dysfunction can be changed with intensive work with those who need the support,” she says.

Sally Thompson is hopeful the cross party talks on a child abuse strategy will look very seriously at including the type of programmes the Trust has been running so successfully for the last decade.

ENDS

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