Oranga Tamariki confident in reforms in face of 220 children harmed, 2000 caregiver complaints

Friday, 15 March 2019

Oranga Tamariki is confident issues are being addressed as it faces the abuse of more than 220 children in care. 

Data released on Friday revealed the extent of abuse in state care and the affect of inadequately supporting caregivers - found to have caused much of the physical and emotional abuse reported by Oranga Tamariki.

It comes after 2000 caregivers complained about a lack of support to parliamentarians earlier in March. 

The ministry's executives are confident change is happening, and that new standard-setting legislation coming into force in July will be met. 

**READ MORE:

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* More bullying reports at Oranga Tamariki-Ministry for Children 

* Social worker attempted suicide after extensive bullying at Ministry for Children

* WorkSafe fails to take a prosecution on a single bullying case**

Chief social worker Grant Bennett said no-one liked to see abuse in the system, but social workers were seeing it and doing something about it. 

New incoming care standards, developed in conjunction with children in state care, will change the way social workers interact with children, he said.

The ministry was moving away from prescriptive care plans, such as a mandatory, minimum eight-weekly visit of children in care.

Some children might require twice-weekly visits, others once every three-months.

'We have to be cautious in this, because there's always a temptation to go and drive unintended consequences. We get criticised sometimes for doing too much, or often too little.'

Oranga Tamariki was also acknowledging it had treated whānau caregivers - found to have caused a large portion of the physical and emotional harm reported - better placed to deal with the troubles of a child they're related to, Bennett said.

But they were often foisted with the responsibility, sometimes late at night, without training. 

Marae-based training sessions were now being undertaken for whānau caregivers. 

On Thursday, Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss said the situation was improving and 300 social workers dedicated to supporting caregivers had been hired. 

She was also confident Oranga Tamariki would meet new requirements to develop care services with Māori and reduce disparity.

Agreements had been signed with Ngāi Tahu and Ngāpuhi, and work with Waikato-Tainui was underway.

Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft said the agreements were an encouraging first step.

'What the legislation requires is nothing short of a revolution in the approach for dealing with indigenous children who suffer abuse and neglect.'

Becroft would like to see Oranga Tamariki move faster, though acknowledged such reform would not happen overnight. 

'We cannot separate what's going on here with the wider issue, of some very black and concerning trends that feed into these issues.'

Oranga Tamariki - Safety of Children in Care, July to September 2018 by Anonymous jlKATDoSIW on Scribd

THE ABUSE

The report takes a broad view of abuse, with sexual harm including cases of consensual sex where there is a power imbalance, physical harm including both intentional and unintentional injury, and emotional abuse including witnessing intimate partner violence. 

Of the 336 reports of  abuse, 36 children were sexually harmed, 182 physically harmed, 35 neglected and 83 emotionally harmed by caregivers, family members, other children and Oranga Tamariki staff. 

​The majority of harm caused by caregivers was due to bad responses to a child's difficult behaviour.

Oranga Tamariki says it will produce the Safety of Children in Care report quarterly, to be transparent about the level of harm in its system. 

The 227 children abused suffered:

_* Physical abuse - 182 children

* Sexual abuse - 36 children

* Emotional abuse - 83 children

* Neglect - 35 children

* Total 'findings of harm' - 336_

Oranga Tamariki - Safety of Children in Care, October to December 2018 by Anonymous jlKATDoSIW on Scribd