Smacking foster son for vandalism lands couple in dock

A West Coast couple have lost faith with Child, Youth and Family after the disciplining of their foster child for causing $5500 of property damage left them carrying the bill and a court conviction.

Instead of paying for the damage, Cyfs prosecuted the couple for common assault on the 13-year-old.

The incident happened in 2002. The boy was disciplined after he coined the car of his school principal and smashed $5000 worth of windows in the farm tractor owned by the couple's employer.

Judge Colin Doherty fined Don and Ann Eathorne $500 each in Greymouth District Court but described the smack with a wooden spoon as "benign" and "not gratuitous violence".

Don Eathorne said yesterday that they had approached Cyfs for financial assistance at the time to cover the cost of the damage but were turned down.

"We asked way back when the damage was done and they said they didn't have money for that sort of thing."

However, Cyfs said yesterday that it had no knowledge of the claim.

The Eathornes also put a lot of their own money into an ongoing medical problem the 13-year-old had - covering doctor visits through to treatment - but again were not offered support from Cyfs.

The agency responded instead nine months ago by taking their two foster children off them. They have had no contact with Cyfs or the children since.

"It's gut-wrenching. We love those children like they were our own," Don Eathorne said.

The Eathornes have fostered more than 20 children, and the two children taken from them were in their care for more than four years.

- NZPA