By CATHERINE MASTERS
Child, Youth and Family Services is not doing its job and should be disbanded, says women's refuge head Merepeka Raukawa-Tait.
The services provided by the statutory child protection agency should be devolved to the community, she told the Beyond Violence conference in New Plymouth yesterday.
Ms Raukawa-Tait stirred up debate this year with her criticism of Maori men for staying silent on child abuse and domestic violence. She expects a roasting for her views on CYFS, but says that is no reason not to speak her mind.
She told the conference, organised by the New Plymouth District Safer Community Council, that people had little faith in the service and were reluctant to turn to it.
"Really, I would have to say that on March 31, 2004, I'd like to see the disestablishment of Child, Youth and Family Services ... "
The service was trying to do its best and staff did their utmost for the children they had to try and assist, "but when you don't have the resources to do the job, when you are under stress, when you are demoralised, it is too much now to recover."
She later told the Herald that as she had moved around the country giving addresses, she had discovered that people everywhere were concerned about the service.
"They're not slagging the department, but they are concerned at their ability to do the job."
Instead of spending the two to three years or more it would take to bring the service - said to have 4000 unallocated cases of possible child abuse to investigate - up to capacity it would be better to spend those years building capacity at local level.
Credible organisations would have to do the work, train people, and ensure honesty.
Disbanding the service would not endanger children.
"Let's be honest. A statutory agency that's not capable of doing its job, that would have to spend three years building its capacity again, that's even more dangerous."
Communities needed to have a hand in the solution.
Many of the state's social workers might not transfer easily to the community as they were "burned out" and tired, said Ms Raukawa-Tait.
Whanau would need an enormous education campaign to know that it was safe to report abuse and that it would be to someone they knew would act immediately.
Child, Youth and Family chief executive Jackie Brown rejected the suggestion that the service was not coping.
"It does not seem sensible to call for the disbanding of a department just because the going gets tough at times. It's a bit like saying the police should be disbanded because of a rise in crime."
Ms Raukawa-Tait also challenged Maori women, as well as men, to speak out about abuse in their families and communities. The future of Maori would be determined by Maori women.
She told them: "Be conscious about who you bring into your home to share with your children and yourself. Be selective in your relationships. Look at [your] drinking and drugs and the things [you're] taking there that are not helpful, look at who else is influencing our children in their homes, the neighbourhood.
"Make sure we know where our children go and make sure that if we do enjoy the bingo hall it doesn't become a total focus to our lives to the exclusion of our children."
Call to dump children's service and start again
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