KEY POINTS:
"One-stop-shop" parent support centres could soon spring up at schools and preschool centres throughout the country if Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro has her way.
She told the opening session of a two-day Manukau Education Conference yesterday that Papakura's Kelvin Rd Whanau Centre pointed the way for the whole country to help parents of at-risk youngsters.
The centre provides parenting classes, counselling, social workers in schools, a Plunket clinic, children's holiday programmes and the Home Interaction Programme for Parents and Youngsters (Hippy).
"I can see a future with many more children's or family centres in New Zealand," Dr Kiro said.
She urged the Government to base drug and alcohol programmes and anger management courses at such centres. South Australian experience with similar centres had found families were keen to use them because they were less "stigmatising" than a specialist drug or anti-violence centre.
"This may be one strategy of increasing our chances of engaging hard-to-reach 'agency-wary' families. Overseas, one-stop shops or services co-located at children's centres or family centres are gaining favour. Examples include Sure Start children's centres in the UK, Toronto First Duty in Canada, Children's Centres in South Australia and Child Health Centres in Sweden."
She also envisaged high-school-based student service centres providing health services and counselling to young people, including educating them as future parents.
The Government is already trialling five preschool family services "hubs", which were due to open by the end of last month at Whangarei, Tokoroa, Murupara, Mangere and Dunedin.
A Ministry of Social Development spokeswoman said the first three centres were in "early stages of development", with Mangere and Dunedin still in the consultation phase.
Eighteen preschools are also being given $70,000 a year each to run pilot parenting classes, parent social support networks and outreach activities aimed at attracting more vulnerable children into preschool.
