Editorial: How to fix CYF must be priority

Children's Commissioner Dr Russell Wills' report found that CYF is understaffed and that staff were not trained. Photo / Warren Buckland

While I applaud the report by Children's Commissioner Dr Russell Wills on Child, Youth and Family, I think instead of damning the agency, this is the perfect opportunity to help it do better.

As with all Government-run organisations we always hear about the things they do wrong, never the good.

Remember these children are in care because they have been either abused or neglected by people who are supposed to love and care for them.

I'm not making excuses for CYF. It is absolutely its responsibility to make sure every child in its care is safe and secure.

The question is how do we fix this as quickly as possible.

Well, the first two steps are obvious.

The report found that CYF is understaffed and that staff were not trained.

So more staff and more training to start with.

Also foster carers need to be monitored.

Again it's a case of a few bad apples spoiling it for all the foster carers in New Zealand who do a fantastic job.

However, for the sake of the children all carers need to be monitored and also given as much support as they need.

I take my hat off to these people who take children into their homes.

The majority of them care for them as if they were their own.

Dr Wills plans to do these reports annually.

Hopefully this report will be a wake-up call for CYF, and next year we will see some improvement.