Editorial: Abused children deserve support

The horrific death of 3-year-old Tangaroa Matiu at the hands of his stepfather was reason enough for despair. Yet for those seeking a solution to this country's tragic chapter of child abuse, the aftermath has, in some respects, been just as alarming. Social workers from the Child, Youth and Family Service could reasonably have been expected to take a close interest in Hoana Matiu's three remaining children, who now live with her sister in Kaitaia.

Yet Vanessa Matiu says the department's support was so meagre and so grudging that she gave up chasing it. Child Youth and Family, for its part, seemed content to be a passive bystander. "If she's not calling us, we're assuming that things are okay," said a supervisor in the Kaitaia office. "If the sister is concerned about anything, she knows she can contact us."

Such inactivity seems extraordinary given the children's background. One of them, 9-year-old Kyden, was, like Tangaroa, abused by his stepfather, according to a tip-off to Child, Youth and Family last December. The other children, John, 12, and Julie-Ann, 11, clearly suffered emotional abuse, if not worse. Abuse is normally self-perpetuating. Those exposed to domestic violence in childhood in turn abuse their own children. At the very least, the surviving Matiu children need counselling and support to help them break that wretched cycle.

Yet counselling promised the traumatised trio by Child, Youth and Family was not delivered. Only since Vanessa Matiu's concerns were reported in the Herald has the department galvanised itself sufficiently to discuss the children's needs.

Child, Youth and Family's passivity is strangely at odds with calls from the likes of the Commissioner for Children and Parentline for everybody to make child abuse their business. The commissioner, Roger McClay, wants to reinforce this message by declaring a national day of mourning for the victims of abuse. Encouragingly, there are signs that many people see the bashing to death of Tangaroa as the final straw.

Lucy Lawless, for example, has offered the use of her star profile in anti-abuse campaigns. Although her offer has yet to lead to anything concrete, she has already provided a valuable service by voicing the view that this is an issue of concern to all New Zealanders. That sentiment, and a recognition of the enormity of the problem, also underpinned the success of a march in Hamilton last Friday, which attracted 600 people.

Child, Youth and Family's job will become easier if the public heeds the call to make child abuse its business and starts supplying information. The decisions that social workers take - often under the pressure of time and heavy caseloads - is only as good as the knowledge they have acquired.

Every snippet may help to build a complete picture of a child's circumstances. The fact that tip-offs can be anonymous leaves little excuse for not acting. If, however, tip-offs are not pursued effectively, as was the case with Tangaroa and Kyden Matiu, the public's enthusiasm for such procedures will inevitably wane.

The popular perception of Child, Youth and Family will from this time inevitably be linked to the prevention of child abuse. The department should always be highly active, if only because sometimes it takes an outsider to recognise abuse.

Families may fail to acknowledge that they have a problem, so desensitised have they become to cruelty and violence. And some who recognise the problem fail to take advantage of social agencies or voluntary counselling services because of misplaced pride. Happily, in this instance, Vanessa Matiu had already used her church and local iwi to step into the counselling void.

Mr McClay has yet to release his report on Child, Youth and Family's treatment of the Matiu case. He has already observed, however, that Tangaroa may have slipped through a crack. And, most tellingly, he has noted that, at a time when people are being encouraged to report abuse, Child, Youth and Family risks being perceived as uncaring.

Such is obviously not the case. Few wish to take on social workers' tasks of picking up the pieces after parents or so-called caregivers abuse defenceless children. However, widespread outrage over the tragic list of victims demands that the department is seen as energetic and enterprising. Assuming that things are okay will no longer suffice.