Callers alert CYFS to five urgent new abuse cases

Child, Youth and Family Services has five urgent new cases of child abuse to investigate as a result of the screening of a television documentary and panel discussion.

Department spokesman Stephen Ward said CYFS call centre staff received 211 calls on Wednesday night, some while the documentary, Questions 2: Killing Tomorrow, was still being screened on TV3.

CYFS social workers will investigate 53 formal notifications of child abuse resulting from the flood of calls.

Five cases classed very urgent would be assigned immediately to social workers for investigation, Mr Ward said.

The department engaged staff on Wednesday night to handle the flood of calls expected to be generated by the documentary, aimed at raising awareness of child abuse.

National's social services spokesman, Bob Simcock, said yesterday that the documentary showed community groups were doing their best on the issue but Government measures were sadly lacking.

He said the most helpful thing the Government could do was to change the law that allowed parents to hit children.

"Nearly all child advocates believe this will reduce the level of violence. An overwhelming majority in Parliament support reform."

Mr Simcock said Social Services Minister Steve Maharey had said decisions on reform would be made by November, but had refused this week to give any indication of when the Government would respond.

TV3 spokeswoman Raegen Houldridge said the channel received hundreds of calls.

A Child Abuse Prevention Services spokeswoman, Heather Henare, said the objective of the documentary would not be reached without enough money for community providers.

- NZPA