Government pours $127m into child agency

By RUTH BERRY political reporter

Child, Youth and Family is an agency in crisis, locked into a downward spiral of responding to emergencies, says a review into the department.

This leaves it unable to tackle the problems of many children on its books, whose numbers in turn continue to grow.

The review released yesterday revealed "deep and systemic problems" highlighted by a lack of management focus within the struggling and demoralised agency.

The problems, which also included a culture resistant to change, could not simply be put down to resourcing issues.

Despite a 50 per cent increase in baseline funding between 1999 and 2002 "some aspects of its performance have got worse", the review said.

CYF Minister Ruth Dyson said the Government's $127 million rescue package over the next three years would try to arrest the cycle.

The scheme will be monitored by a high-powered advisory group of the Treasury's deputy secretary, the Ministry of Social Development's chief executive and a State Services Commission deputy secretary.

The group will report independently to their top-ranking ministers who will also oversee the department's progress.

The Ministry of Social Development will also take over co-ordinating family support services.

Ministry chief executive Peter Hughes said yesterday this was the creation of a new responsibility, not an attempt to strip CYF of one of its jobs.

But a Cabinet briefing also released said there was an expectation CYF would have carried out this role.

The review also found, however, that unrealistic expectations had been placed on the agency.

Ms Dyson refused to say whether she had confidence in chief executive Jackie Pivac, saying this was a question for her employer, State Services Commissioner Michael Wintringham. Mr Wintringham said he would not give performance reviews of chief executives in public, but said there was no set protocol as to whether ministers could express confidence in a chief executive.

Some chose to, while others believed it was an employment matter.

Ms Pivac's contract is up for review next September and she refused to say whether she expected to hang on to her job.

She said through a spokeswoman that the question was a red herring and she was focused on taking the department forward.

The review said until the agency was more settled it was impossible to identify long-term base funding needs.

Ms Pivac said the immediate goals were to "stabilise, learn and improve".

The plan, which would require the agency to "change how we think about managing the department", would be completed in December.

Frontline staff would increase by 140 within a year, family group conferences would get extra resources (the review found they were woefully underfunded) and regional offices strengthened, Ms Pivac said.

The review revealed widespread dissatisfaction among stakeholders about CYF and said its performance in terms of care and protection and youth justice services "is variable and often poor".

A growing number of children were being kept in care longer than they should, rather than being returned to family, and their care had in turn put money pressures on the agency.

Frontline capability had eroded and staff were demoralised.

Act welfare spokeswoman Muriel Newman said the review was damning and showed the Government had continued to throw money at a service it knew was failing.

Ms Dyson said CYF had been set up in 1999 and some time was needed to see whether it was suffering more than teething problems.

What the report says

The service will get another $127 million over the next three years to keep it afloat. But its problems cannot all be blamed on lack of money and in some ways its performance is getting worse - despite a 50 per cent increase in funding between 1999 and 2002 and a comprehensive review by Judge Mick Brown in 2000.

The background: Yesterday's report was rushed out by the Government after news of another CYF blunder which may have contributed to a child's death.

The child welfare service admitted last week that it ignored a call for help from the father of slain Featherston six-year-old Coral-Ellen Burrows, months before she was killed.

Previous controversies include

* Olympia Jetson and Saliel Aplin: Social workers failed to act for almost four months on Olympia's claims of sexual abuse by her stepfather, Bruce Howse. The girls were killed the day after CYF finally told their mother.

* Bailey Junior (BJ) Kurariki: New Zealand's youngest killer, found guilty of manslaughter at 13, was in CYF care at the time of the murder but the service had lost track of him.

* James Whakaruru: CYF was one of many agencies which failed to help the five-year-old boy, beaten to death by his stepfather in 1999.

Reports released this week also found CYF did not know whether those in its care were attending school and criticised the facilities at its northern residential centre.

What happens now

CYF loses responsibility for co-ordinating family support services to the Ministry of Social Development. Chief executive Jackie Pivac's future looks uncertain as CYF Minister Ruth Dyson yesterday avoided expressing confidence in her.

What the critics say

"CYF has failed to provide the necessary lifeline to children in danger. The cover-up will carry on and the public will continue to wonder whether any child in need of care and protection is safe under this Government." - Act MP Muriel Newman

"Competent and visionary leadership is needed to make the changes necessary to break out of CYF's endless cycle of recurring problems and crises." - Green MP Sue Bradford