57 ways to fix childcare crisis

By JOSIE CLARKE and FRANCESCA MOLD

Child, Youth and Family is a damaged and demoralised service that needs urgent change, says a hard-hitting review of our welfare agencies.

The long-awaited report by former principal Youth Court Judge Mick Brown says the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services is under extreme pressure and needs an urgent overhaul.

But he said people had to think hard about becoming parents and prepare for more responsibility rather than blaming welfare agencies when abuse occurred.

The report was ordered after public outrage over several cases, especially one in which a 14-year-old boy was placed with a Mongrel Mob relative who later took him out to rape a woman in Wellington.

It is released in the same week that the country's top social worker, Mike Doolan, issued two public apologies for his service's performance.

Judge Brown said people should think hard about becoming parents and be more prepared for the responsibility.

"Parenting is such a deliberate exercise. It is a very mature decision because it involves the sacrifice of time in an age when we're not inclined to do so."

The 133-page report makes 57 recommendations, but Judge Brown said it was patently obvious most of the problems were beyond the department's control.

It says that on October 31, 2000, 3379 cases of suspected abuse had been lodged with CYFS but remained unallocated to a social worker.

Summing up his report, Judge Brown said the country could not depend on social welfare, but rather on the resolve of individual citizens.

"It is too cheap and easy to just blame one sector and abdicate to one department the responsibility for this problem. It is a matter of individual will."

The Public Service Association, the union representing CYFS workers, said the report was a logical and acceptable path to a better resourced department able to deliver a quality service.

But it warned that the real test would come when details of the Budget were revealed.

"We will continue to work with the department in sorting out the immediate and long-term goals, but make no mistake, there is going to have to be a significant and sizeable recognition of the reality here in Budget dollars," said national secretary Richard Wagstaff.

Social Services Minister Steve Maharey said his Government had arrived to find an intolerable situation in which children were not getting care and protection.

After 10 years of constant restructuring, including five name changes, the agency was under enormous stress.

"We had a problem, that was clear."

Mr Maharey said all 57 recommendations made by Judge Brown would be implemented, although that would happen at a pace dictated by finance.

He estimated it would take at least two years.

He said there was agreement in the Government that child welfare was a priority in the Budget.

Mr Maharey said it was unlikely the recommendation that a monitoring agency similar to the Education Review Office would be fully implemented.

But the Government would look at another form of independent monitoring.

Questioned about possible pay rises for social workers, he said any increase would not be out of proportion with other public servants.

National's social services spokesman, Bob Simcock, said he accepted that CYFS had been under pressure for some time.

"But let's not forget that Steve Maharey inherited a department that was stable. It was this minister who created a crisis - no one else."

CYFS chief executive Jackie Brown said the department was developing an implementation plan, due by May.

She said the report was a fair reflection of the environment at the moment.

THE WISH LIST


* The Government gives a "clear, unequivocal commitment" to financing a revamp of the service.

* An organisation like the Education Review Office be established to monitor performance.

* The department be given three months to provide the Government with a plan on how it will develop a fully skilled social work staff.

* The urgent introduction of social worker registration, and that options be investigated for a national register to track and share information about children at risk.

* Finance and resources are concentrated on reducing the number of unallocated cases to zero within the next six months.

* The practice concerning placement of children with family and whanau be reviewed to ensure all placements are made in the best interests of the child.