11 October 2012

Child Matters delighted with White Paper priorities

Amanda Meynell, Academic Services Manager of leading child abuse prevention organisation Child Matters, is delighted with the White Paper for Vulnerable Children, released today. The White paper has incorporated numerous initiatives which Child Matters has been strongly advocating for since its inception in 1994 and Mrs Meynell is excited to see such a comprehensive plan covering these, being developed.

There are a number of key areas outlined in the White Paper that Mrs Meynell believes deserve particular mention.

“The introduction of an independent child protect line is to be commended. From Child Matters’ experience, there is a definite need and demand for a line like this. Every week Child Matters fields a significant number of unsolicited calls from people who are concerned about a child but don’t know what to do.

The Government’s introduction of compulsory child abuse policies for agencies working with children provides a pivotal piece of the puzzle in eliminating child abuse. Organisations will be in a much stronger position to protect children if they have clear guidelines on how their organisation will go about minimising the risk of abuse to children in their care, and what actions to take if abuse is suspected.

The compulsory training of professionals working with children in recognising and responding to child abuse is a critical factor and it’s exciting to see this included in the White Paper. Child Protection Training has a significant impact in safeguarding children. It provides people with the skills to know what signs of abuse to look for, the knowledge to know what to do if worried about a child, and the tools and confidence to take appropriate action to keep children safe”.

Mrs Meynell states “We believe that Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has made the right call in regards to the issue of mandatory reporting of child abuse. There are pros and cons for and against mandatory reporting, and the fact that the Minister is requiring child protection training will ensure that those working with children will be able to exercise professional judgement around reporting.

The new national vetting and screening process that will be set out in law is very welcome. Children can be extremely vulnerable when unsafe people are allowed to enter organisations. While a national screening and vetting process could be extremely effective, organisations will still need to take personal responsibility for ensuring that the people they employ are safe.

Overseas research carried out by Child Matters shows that other countries have successfully implemented minimum workforce standards for those working with children and the White Paper focus in this area ensures that we are in keeping with international practices.

The cross-agency care response being developed, which has an information sharing database and requires the joint responsibility of key government departments, is a huge step in the right direction. This can be further enhanced by these professionals and agencies training together so Child Matters’ hopes that this is also considered.

As people have time to assimilate the information outlined in today’s release, the detail and impact of the White Paper will become clearer.”

About Child Matters:

• Child Matters is the only organisation in New Zealand solely focused on child abuse prevention, education and advocacy.
• It works to prevent child abuse by 1) speaking up for New Zealand children; and 2) educating adults to identify child abuse and take the appropriate action.
• Child Matters is a catalyst in communities, working to connect organisations and build leaders who are making positive impacts on child abuse prevention.
• Child Matters is an independent charitable trust with a cross sector view and influence around child abuse in New Zealand. It has links to all organisations who work with children and enables them to tackle the issue of child abuse in their local communities.
• Every adult in New Zealand is affected in some way by child abuse and, therefore, Child Matters believes every adult has a role to play in protecting children. Its child abuse prevention educational programmes are a powerful solution.
• Child Matters believes child abuse prevention education must be made compulsory for all key organisations working with children.
• Child Matters works with a range of organisations to educate their staff to identify child abuse and take the appropriate action. It encourages organisations to adopt a child abuse prevention education and staff wellness programme to demonstrate they take child abuse prevention seriously.
• Child Matters operates nationally.

For more information, visit: www.childmatters.org.nz

ENDS

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