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Carol Stovold Quality Kids qualitykidz.co.nz |
As a country our statistics around vulnerable children are appalling – given that every hour, two children in New Zealand are physically, sexually or emotionally abused.
This despite the hundreds of millions of dollars being invested in health, education, welfare, the justice system and Child, Youth and Family in the last two decades.
Our statistics around child death through maltreatment are even more shocking; 1.2 deaths for every 100,000 children, placing New Zealand third equal in the world with Hungary.
At no other time in our history have children been at the forefront of so many government commissioned reports and consultation papers. The difference now, is that with all of the scientific research and advances over the last 20 years, we now know what effect abuse and neglect has on both the developing child and the cost to society as that child turns into an adult.
The old cliche is true; ‘children are the future'. It is long overdue that children in this country became the focus for both government and the citizens of New Zealand to ensure they come first and are placed at the centre of all of government policy development. What this country has been doing hasn't been working; if it had, our statistics wouldn't be so shocking and children would not be hospitalised from horrific abuse leading to deaths.
Last Wednesday, Minister Paula Bennett released a Green Paper on vulnerable children for comment and consultation. The intent of the Green Paper is to assist society to stop failing its children by providing an opportunity for us all to consider and debate controversial and uncomfortable issues. Many of these issues are complex and require decisions that will last more than a three year political term.
She described the report as an opportunity to have a say in 'how we care for and protect them, the trade offs and sacrifices we're prepared to make and the opportunities we want them to have to ensure every child thrives, belongs and achieves”.
The main proposals from the report include:
- Priority treatment for parents to access a range of services;
- Mandatory reporting of abuse including for doctors, teachers and nurses;
- Reconsideration of the preference to send children removed from their homes to relatives;
- And better sharing of information, even when there were privacy issues.
Appalling statistics:
- 21,000 cases of abuse and neglect in 2009/10 confirmed by Child, Youth and Family;
- On any given day, more than 30,000 students were truant from schools;
- 7342 school leavers left with no qualification in 2009;
- 13,315 avoidable hospital admissions in 2008/09 were for children under five, and 1286 admissions for all children were as a result of assault, neglect or maltreatment.
- 47,374 children – aged 0-16 – lived with a victim of family violence incidents reported to police in 2010.
- Research has shown that at any one time 15 per cent of children – or 163,000 children aged under 18 years – needed support and intervention.
To download the Green Paper visit http://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/work-programmes/policy-development/green-paper-vulnerable-children/green-paper-for-vulnerable-children.pdf.
You have until February 28, 2012 to have your say.
Next week: Children's tantrums