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Nelson MP Nick Smith is calling for an independent inquiry into whether Child, Youth and Family and other welfare agencies provided enough support to the family of a Nelson boy who died after an alleged assault.
The boy's 37-year-old stepfather appeared in Nelson District Court on Thursday accused of assaulting the seven-year-old, and police said further charges were likely.
Police have also interviewed the boy's mother but refuse to say whether she is likely to be charged.
She called 111 asking for an ambulance to be sent to the family home on July 2. Ambulance officers found the boy in a collapsed state and were unable to revive him.
CYF had twice been notified about the family, but deputy chief executive Ray Smith said neither of the notifications had indicated the boy's safety was at risk.
Other agencies had also been involved in supporting the family, and CYF had not been involved with the family at the time of the boy's death, Mr Smith said.
"Once the police have completed their investigation, we are more than willing to provide further details," he said.
Dr Nick Smith said community protection for children needed to be the best it could possibly be, and an inquiry was necessary to establish whether this was the case.
"There's something awfully sick and wrong when a seven-year-old boy living in our community dies under these circumstances," he told the Nelson Mail
Nelson was grieving over the tragedy and the community needed to take a "good hard look" at how the boy had been let down.
"It's an awful tragedy which strikes at the heart of what Nelson prides itself for. Part of Nelson's identity is being a safe place for families and children."
- NZPA
