Two disillusioned caregivers are calling for accountability and a complete rebuild of the system that’s meant to protect our children. Photo / 123rf
Two disillusioned caregivers are calling for accountability and a complete rebuild of the system that’s meant to protect our children. Photo / 123rf
WARNING: This article discusses sexual abuse and may be upsetting to some readers.
When a preschooler told Sandra Jones she’d been abused, the Oranga Tamariki caregiver took detailed notes and passed the information straight to a social worker - who then questioned her motivation for doing so.
It wasn’t the reaction the experienced Whangārei caregiver or her husband Mike* were expecting, but very little about the handling of the little girl’s case was at the standard they believe is required from a government department responsible for the wellbeing of vulnerable children.
To make matters worse, Anna was abruptly removed from their home within two weeks of Sandra mentioning the abuse and put into another family placement, which broke down within six months.
This month Shawn Bennett, an experienced Oranga Tamariki caregiver who abused Anna while she was in his care, was sentenced to nine years in jail.
It comes after another Northland caregiver William Cash was jailed for eight and a half years in March for historical child sexual offences relating to two girls who were in his care.
Now Sandra and Mike are calling for accountability and a complete rebuild of the system that’s meant to protect our children.
“The system needs governance and providers need to be separate. The whole thing needs to be dismantled and restarted,” Mike told NZME.
“Non-family caregivers are privileged because we have everything but no voice, and family caregivers have this thrust on them and no support.”
After Anna left their care, the couple decided they could no longer continue as caregivers.
“We don’t think they keep kids safe, I can’t work within that framework,” Sandra said.
William Cash was jailed for eight and a half years in March for historical child sexual offences on two girls who were in his care. Photo / Supplied
Abusing Anna
Shawn Bennett had a long history with the Whangārei branch of Oranga Tamariki; up to 60 children had been placed in his care over a period of 15 years.
The 59-year-old and his family have been described by other caregivers as “the model family” - to the point Bennett was even brought in to help train new caregivers.
But behind closed doors, Bennet was anything but the perfect caregiver.
The Whangārei District Court recently heard how Bennett took every opportunity to offend against his young victim whenever his wife left the house. The abuse was repeated and prolonged.
Last week during sentencing, the remorseless caregiver blamed Oranga Tamariki for placing the girl in his care for so long. He also stated he believed that because she was so young she would eventually get over it and move on.
Anna was moved out of the Bennetts’ care when a new policy encouraging placing children with whānau was introduced. It was during that time she first disclosed what had happened to her to students and a teacher.
Within three months of being with whānau, the placement fell apart and she was moved again, this time into the care of the Joneses, who had eight years of experience in caregiving.
The couple say she came to them with infected headlice and no belongings. They feel Oranga Tamariki failed to fully disclose what had happened to Anna which impacted their ability to deal with her trauma, only briefly mentioning she had made a public disclosure about sexual abuse at the hands of “Daddy Shawn”.
Shawn Bennett at his sentencing in Whangārei for sexual offending on a child in his care. Photo / Michael Cunningham
“She came to us in such a state ... We felt like she’d been neglected. This kid’s been in care, so how does this happen?”
Sandra built a trusting relationship with Anna and over time, the girl disclosed further details about the abuse.
“It was very explicit and it was hard to listen to, I recorded it word for word and passed it to her social worker. She reported it further but questioned why I was telling her and what my motivation was.”
The couple say Anna was not given any medical assessments following her disclosure of abuse, even though she was experiencing physical pain and basic needs were not provided. They say a gateway assessment, given to all children in state care to address their needs, had never been done even though she had been in care for many years.
“She was set up to fail. She had no support and we see this all the time, just the basic needs like a bedroom, enough space in the house, a plan to get to school.”
“She trusted us and we couldn’t keep her safe.”
‘Not to the expected standard’
The couple filed a complaint in 2022 with Oranga Tamariki but it was 10 months, a day after Bennett’s trial concluded, that they got a response.
“From the site manager to the bottom, we couldn’t get a response from anyone,” Sandra said.
Sandra gave evidence at trial for the crown. An ex-Oranga Tamariki social worker gave evidence for Bennett.
“The presence [at trial] of Oranga Tamariki was with the Bennetts and not with us, the way they treated us when we disclosed what was happening.”
“The Bennetts were the family, this trusted long-term family of the Whangārei site. They were embedded in there, they were part of their training, so how can anyone at Whangārei not be biased?” Sandy said.
Oranga Tamariki said it aims to put tamariki at the centre of all they do. Photo / RNZ
Oranga Tamariki told NZME in a statement the social worker who gave evidence at trial left Oranga Tamariki in 2021 so was no longer an employee when they gave evidence.
A spokesperson said extensive support was wrapped around Anna before, during and after the court process but would not comment any further on the handling of her case.
“Oranga Tamariki always aims to put the tamariki at the centre of all that we do. We cannot comment on specifics to protect privacy,” the statement said.
Oranga Tamariki’s Whangārei site manager Rob Nordstrom did, however, acknowledge some failings in a letter to the Joneses following their complaint.
“You raised concerns about the communication and engagement you received and how it impacted your ability to care for [Anna]. You told us [her] needs were not assessed and supported and information was withheld impacting your ability to care for [her]. Also, recommendations from a previous complaint were not upheld,” Nordstrom said in the letter where he also thanked the couple for their commitment and dedication as caregivers, particularly to Anna.
“The experiences you received were not to the expected standard, and for this, I would like to apologise.”
Nordstrom went on to say recommendations had been made to address some of the areas of concern.
It’s not just the Joneses who are unhappy with Oranga Tamariki’s communication and the way Anna’s case was handled.
Her mother told NZME that prior to Anna’s disclosure, she had access to her daughter, including overnight stays, but afterwards Oranga Tamariki cut her contact and gave her limited information.
“When all this happened they stopped me from seeing her.
“Why couldn’t I see her? Why couldn’t I know anything? Any mum would be worried,” she said.
After ringing every week, an appointment was finally made at the office where the charges relating to her daughter were disclosed to her. She admits to getting upset with the key social worker and throwing a bottle of hand sanitiser, a move for which she has since been charged.
“I was desperate for answers, to see her, if she was okay, to know anything, still to this day I don’t know everything.
“You can’t do this to a mum and leave her in limbo,” the mother said.
“I’m crying about my baby and they just look at my behaviour and they wonder why I’m acting like that. There’s no sympathy, I just want some insight into what I need to do to help her or be there for her.”
The mother has commended her new social worker, though, and is hopeful her daughter will one day return to live with her, saying she is a different person now to when her children were removed from her care several years ago.
“I’ve done drug testing, I’ve done parenting programmes, everything they’ve asked me to do ... it’s alienation, it’s personal. I’ll never give up though.”
Oranga Tamariki refused to comment on the mother’s comments, citing privacy.
Child Matters chief executive Jane Searle says constant monitoring needs to be done of caregivers who have children in their care. Photo / Child Matters
The system needs to change
Child Matters chief executive Jane Searle told NZME the system has long lacked funding and a shortage of caregivers and the 2021-2022 report on the safety of children in state care, which found 453 children were victims of harm, was just the tip of the iceberg.
“The fact that a person hasn’t been investigated before doesn’t mean anything, it doesn’t mean [the child] is safe. There are many, many cases where people haven’t been caught until years into their offending.
“Our systems need to be vigilant to protect children, regardless of who is involved,” she said.
In the case of William Richard Cash, the 77-year-old caregiver who was sentenced in March, two people came forward over a 15-year period.
The first, a child who came into his care as a non-family placement, told a number of people she was being sexually violated. It went ignored.
Fifteen years later, another child was placed in the Moerewa man’s care. They too would go on to report similar offending.
It is estimated Cash had up to 100 children in his care over this time period.
Searle says in order for the system to be robust, processes and procedures need to be put in place to monitor the safety of children in placement and mandatory training in child protection and identifying signs of abuse in frontline roles like teaching, community groups, police and sports organisations.
“You should not be able to make decisions about the care and wellbeing of children, or have children in your care if you haven’t had the appropriate training ... it’s a basic frontline of defence we are missing.
“While there are some good social workers at Oranga Tamariki, they are in a system that is not fit for purpose, they’re in a system that needs strengthening.
“The workload of social workers needs to be monitored. You cannot do your job if you are overworked and you don’t have the resources you need to keep children safe, that’s been an ongoing issue.
“The children in our care are some of our most at-risk children, they deserve to have the best policies in place to protect them,” Searle said.
“They need to be a priority for us as a country.”
*Anna, Sandra and Mike’s names have all been changed to protect the identity of the child.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/Ngātiwai/Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked freelance in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.
