KEY POINTS:
How do you know when to call 111 if the child next door is screaming? Is he throwing a tantrum or has he been thrown across the room? Police and others say, don't hesitate.
As the nation learned what went on behind the dilapidated fence at 13D Frank St, the Prime Minister called on New Zealanders to act when they saw child abuse. Helen Clark rounded on the neighbours of 3-year-old Nia Glassie.
"I cannot believe that a child subjected to that level of horror, sadism, torture - that nobody knew," she said.
" ... people have to start turning in those who, frankly, are maiming and killing our children."
Last Saturday night, Titirangi mother Karyn Scherer was just out of the spa pool with the kids when she opened her door to three "aggressive" policemen. They were following up a 111 call made by a frequent visitor to one of Scherer's neighbours.
Her children satisfied police their mother was no monster and she was later assured that no further action would be taken.
In police jargon, it's known as a false positive - when what, on the face of it, seems worthy of investigation turns out to be a waste of time.
When Scherer, a respected and senior Herald journalist, wrote about the embarrassing experience in a column, hundreds of Herald website readers took up an invitation to comment. The issue was also debated on Trade Me. The responses - while running the gamut from police state and the decline of neighbourliness to the geographic spread of family violence - highlight the real dilemmas neighbours face in answering the Prime Minister's plea.
Sure, it's "reprehensible" to do nothing when we witness abuse taking place - but how do we know what's going on behind closed doors? How to distinguish screams of agony, or abuse, from a child throwing a tantrum?
And, if we call the police or Child, Youth and Family's call centre, will they do anything? Will we be identified?
The complainant later explained his or her concerns on the Herald website. "My motive for this action was to be certain that it wasn't an abuse case, after all the abuse happening to children lately I felt I had to make the call. I apologise if it offended anyone, but better safe than sorry, I say."
Other respondents had a different take: "Damned if you do, damned if you don't." And that applies as much to the police as to neighbours.
Can we expect call-centre staff to be more wary before dispatching three policemen? Not in a call centre still haunted by Iraena Asher, who vanished after police sent a taxi to pick her up, and the taxi went to the wrong address.
Inspector Ged Byers, the police national family violence co-ordinator, says call centre staff try to learn as much as they can from callers about the circumstances but have little room for discretion.
"I would expect checks to be made whether the family is known from previous calls to the address or there's a background of domestic violence." (Byers says research suggests that in 90 per cent of child-abuse cases, domestic violence is also taking place).
It can be very difficult for call-centre staff to gauge what's going on. "There may be language barriers or they might be quite reluctant to actually engage - they know they should be but they're being quite cautious and understating what is going on."
With a name and address, staff can check whether police have been to the address before, or if there's a record of family violence.
"Where we've done risk assessments we can identify immediately whether there is a situation which is high risk or low risk or whatever."
Most family violence calls are coded priority one - with an immediate response time, although Byers concedes there can be delays if there's a major incident going on.
And it doesn't matter whether the address is Remuera or Ranui. "Family violence is everywhere - it's like some schools saying they haven't got kids who use drugs."
In most cases, the call will trigger a police visit and it's for attending officers to decide what happens next.
"We'll principally be looking to identify any offence, noting the demeanour of the child and their behaviour," says Byers.
Of course, it can be hard to tell but officers are trained to look for clues such as "dissociative" behaviour - for instance, texting on a cellphone while there's mayhem all around.
Options include immediate removal of the child, calling in a Child Youth and Family social worker, follow-up notification to CYFS, and no action. "In any event the matter is recorded," says Byers.
Do police feel this is a job for social workers or that they lack the skills to assess a child's safety?
"There are plenty of examples where the best-equipped people have got it wrong," says Byers.
"We work with what we've got in front of us and the decisions can be made later as to whether the child is at risk. We're not psychiatrists or psychologists and that's why we work hand in hand with the [Women's] Refuge and with Child, Youth and Family."
A new model for inter-agency co-operation is being phased-in this year, with agencies sharing information and looking more broadly at families' needs. Byers says police, Child Youth and Family, Women's Refuge and others meet regularly to consider cases "and ensure the actions of one agency support the others."
Although police are the main notifiers to Child Youth and Family, information also comes from schools, doctors, and church social workers, as well as concerned family, friends and neighbours. Child Youth and Family's call centre handles 3500 calls a day. In July, an average of 170 each day (just under 5 per cent) were referred to social workers as possible child abuse or neglect cases. Notifications have run higher in the three weeks since the Glassie case hit the headlines.
Social workers may decide to take no action or launch an investigation, looking for evidence of emotional, physical and sexual abuse; neglect; behavioural problems and self-harm. They consider whether the child is in immediate danger of harm, has adult supervision, whether the alleged perpetrator has easy access to the child, the degree of visible injuries and past incidents.
Cases are prioritised from critical (respond within 24 hours) to low urgency (respond within a month), where children are not at risk of harm but may have behavioural or relationship difficulties.
In the past five years, substantiated cases of neglect have doubled to 16,479, in line with a doubling of notifications. But CYF says a downward trend in unallocated cases shows it is continuing to meet the needs of at-risk children.
An inter-agency guide to stopping abuse says fear of being wrong is the most common reason people decide not to call. "We usually want to believe the best of others, and resist believing that they could be responsible for causing children any harm."
As for fears we may be identified, anonymity is usually preserved - though in rare cases you may be called as a witness. Whatever our qualms, the inter-agency guide urges us to put the interests of the child above those of adults.
Terry Quinn, CYF acting national call-centre manager and operating manager for Waikato, says a blip in notifications is expected after media coverage of child abuse but CYF is "more than adequately equipped" to deal with it.
"It's a good thing if people are expressing concerns about child safety. It's important people feel confident they can ring us."
Neither are police admitting to concern that the national agonising over child abuse could cause a flood of unnecessary calls. Ged Byers says if members of the public have concerns they should "talk to someone".
"If there's someone you believe is being hurt right now, don't hesitate, call 111. If you have just a suspicion then talk to someone - which might be contacting your local police family violence co-ordinator or Child Youth and Family (the call centre number is 0508 326459) or any other service such as Women's Refuge, and talk about exactly what it is you are seeing or hearing."
Your views
Responses to the Herald website show Karyn Scherer is not the only mother surprised to find her 2-year-old's "world-class hissy fits" the subject of a police inquiry. They also suggest the issue of whether to report suspicions of child abuse is far from clearcut in the public mind.
Having our 5-year-old daughter explain to the policeman that she wasn't "dying" (as she had been screaming) but was just put in time out for being naughty was the end result - but it was an unpleasant experience and I wouldn't wish it on any parent. - Fellow visited.
A bedtime tantrum has its own character and I haven't heard of a child getting abused who screamed "blue murder" in the same way. I think you'll find most children, when being abused, quieten down considerably. - Jay
The police were just doing their job ... with what has gone around in the last few weeks in NZ, with disturbing assaults on children, it is only reassuring that police turned up when a neighbour complained. Good on the neighbour. - Mcs
If only the Kahui twins or Nia Glassie had neighbours who were as concerned as Ms Scherer's. Oh but hang on, sorry, this was Titirangi. Well, excuse me for thinking that children from rich white neighbourhoods might actually get abused too. - Dial 111.
For some kids it would be the ultimate deterrent. Mummy: "You realise darling, that if you throw a tantrum, the neighbours will call the police who will come to interview you!" - Hilary Butler
People are now going to be more hesitant in reporting potential abuse for fear of being vilified a nosy neighbour. - Nicola Feasey
I believe the police need more justification before taking such drastic action. They also shouldn't make a scene. A simple (non-aggressive) knock at the door would most probably have served the purpose. - Scott
What will happen when this child throws more tantrums and another neighbour contacts the police? How many calls will it take before the police and CYF get heavy-handed with the family? - Colin
* Further responses: Your views, www.nzherald.co.nz
