NEW ZEALAND

Money better spent on existing welfare programmes

Instead of "Big Brother" tactics to monitor children's wellbeing, money could be better spent on existing programmes to bolster parenting skills, suggest community welfare providers.

The Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro wants the Government to keep tabs on child welfare with four tests for every child in the country to stop some "falling through the cracks". The initiative – based on a Scottish pilot programme – would have children's health, education and social situation assessed at birth, when they start school, reach their teens and leave the education system.

The proposal was slated by New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties, which said it would be an invasion of privacy. Chairman Michael Bott said the idea had "shades of Big Brother". "It would be completely disgraceful for any sort of interview to take place about things like abuse when they would be potentially gathering information about a crime. It's an affront to a presumption of innocence," he said.

It is not clear who would fund the potentially costly exercise or how children would be tested.

However, the proposal received cautious support from some community providers. The director of The Family Help Trust, Libby Robins, said the suggestion was "worth a look" but she sounded a word of warning. "Too often schemes are floated and they look like a good idea but once it has been implemented the infrastructure isn't in place to follow the idea through and make it work effectively," she said.

"We also need to look at the status quo. We need to improve current reporting processes for teachers, doctors, nurses and so on, who suspect neglect or abuse and then make sure the systems are in place to deal with the problem; not simply put children on a waiting list that never gets acted on."

The Christchurch-based child support agency has supported more than 600 at-risk families over the last five years; there are currently 12 families on the trust's waiting list.

Ms Robins said the type of testing and who would carry it out would be key considerations. "This shouldn't be about the state putting young children and their families through the mill. The Plunket system of regular `Well Child' checks works well when there is enough money and support. Plunket does an excellent job with the resources they have but they need to be funded properly."

While the issue of privacy had to be taken into account, it would only be a problem in a minority of cases, she said. "The safety and wellbeing of a child must override any such concerns."

In 2003, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) ranked New Zealand third worst for child abuse in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and New Zealand also has one of the worst child-poverty rates in the OECD.

Ms Robins said New Zealand's child safety statistics were "appalling" and urgent work as needed to "nip it in the bud".

"Funding, for example, the Plunket service effectively, would certainly go part of the way to improving the welfare of our families and children," she said.

Barnados chief executive Murray Edridge said the proposal reflected concern that there were "still children falling through the cracks". But while he welcomed any initiative aimed at helping families, he too suggested that resources could be better invested in parent education and support and assistance for at-risk families "in a coordinated manner". "It seems to me that the critical part of the proposal involves government agencies working collaboratively together and engaging effectively with community providers," he said today. "Many good things were being done at government level and in the community – but it was questionable whether those things were "well enough coordinated to result in sufficient outcomes".

"The reason why children fall through the gaps is because we don't have good communication between education and Child Youth and Family and the health system.

"Whether investment into assessment and testing is best use of those resources, we would have to reserve judgement on that. . .

"At the end of the day it's not about legislation, it's not about systems – it's about giving people the skills to cope."

New Zealand's high levels of child abuse and neglect could be blamed in part on "cultural issues", poverty, increasing pressure on young people in education and work, substance abuse and the breakdown of traditional family and community support structures, he said. "We're talking about inter-generational issues: we need to break the cycle, and teach people that's important that they behave differently to their parents.

"We need everyone involved – and that means all of us, but especially agencies – to have a cooperative approach to these things and ensure the resources are best utilised."

25 January 2006

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3551310a11,00.html

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