Collins Comments: White Paper on Vulnerable Children
new-zealand-national-party
Thu Oct 11 2012 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Collins Comments: White Paper on Vulnerable Children
Thursday, 11 October 2012, 4:19 pm
Column: New Zealand National Party
11 October 2012
Collins Comments
Parents are ultimately responsible for the welfare and wellbeing of their children.
However as we know, a small minority of children do not have loving parents. For those children, extended family and in some cases, the Government, has to step in to shoulder the responsibility for their wellbeing. These are the children who the White Paper on Vulnerable Children aims to protect.
Like many New Zealanders, the Government is deeply concerned that too many of our children are seriously abused and neglected. And in many cases of extreme abuse, there were often people who held some information, but sadly no one put all the pieces together.
I’m sure you will agree it is time for fundamental change.
The White Paper on Vulnerable Children – including the Children’s Action Plan – will target support and services to better protect our most vulnerable children. It gives us clear, easy to digest direction on how our child protection system will be reformed and the new measures that will be implemented over the coming decade. These include:
• New legislation to make Chief Executives of Social Development, Health, Justice, Police, Housing and Te Puni Kokiri jointly accountable for achieving results for all vulnerable children.
• Regional Directors & Children’s Teams to coordinate individualised responses locally.
• New Child Protect line to triage calls appropriately. Many people are concerned about children but don’t want to call Child, Youth and Family. This new line will be the first point of contact and ensure the right response.
• Vulnerable Kid’s Information System to be put in place.
• Comprehensive risk predictor tool to be developed alongside Auckland University to identify vulnerable children before they are abused and get them the help they need.
• Ongoing support to families who take in a child to be provided by non-government organisations.
• More specialist trained caregivers for high-needs and high-risk teens.
• Review of Child, Youth and Family complaints process and parental leave provisions, with a view to extending these to families who take on a child permanently.
• Screening of people working directly with children to be established through a legislated vetting process and we will encourage social workers to register with the Social Workers Registration Board.
• Tough new restrictions for abusers through child abuse prevention orders to allow judges to stop child abusers from gaining access to children.
• Child protection orders could mean that another baby born into a potentially abusive environment is removed from that parent’s care_._
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The Children’s Action Plan is the result of months of research, discussion and policy development. It is based on nearly 10,000 submissions on the Green Paper for Vulnerable Children, consultation with key experts in health, justice, education and social services, and what international best practice shows keeps children safe from harm.
The White Paper forms the basis for the most significant improvement in child protection this country has seen. It will serve not only this generation of New Zealand children, but also their children and their grandchildren.
For more information see www.childrensactionplan.govt.nz
Hon Judith Collins
MP for Papakura
ENDS
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