Timely help 'can break abuse cycle'

By GAVIN ENGLISH and NZPA

Early treatment for Jules Mikus may well have saved Teresa Cormack's life, one of the authors of a new children's welfare report claims.

The report, Making it Happen, went to politicians, mayors and children's agencies yesterday in response to the Government's Agenda for Children.

Dr Emma Davies, who worked on the report, believes New Zealand needs a "cultural shift" to prioritise the needs of young people.

"If you choose not to invest in the early years and in child health, we will be having the same conversations about mental health and crime in 50 years," said Dr Davies, programme leader for Children and Families at the AUT Institute of Public Policy .

"If it is true that Jules Mikus was himself abused as a kid [then] it may be that murder could have been prevented.

"If a child has been abused and does not get any help, they are much more likely to suffer severe emotional stress or re-enact that violence later in life."

She said there was strong evidence to suggest people who did not remember the emotional pain of being abused were themselves much more likely to abuse.

"It is a power thing," she said.

"If you can get in early enough with specialised services, not only for the child, but for those important to the child as well - caregivers and whanau - you can make a big difference."

The groups which worked on the report, including Unicef New Zealand, Plunket, the Child Poverty Action Group and the Public Health Association, said the Government's "lack of action" in combating child poverty and violence prompted them to compile their own plan for giving children a better future.

Dr Davies helped compile the report, and said that although she approved of the Agenda for Children, she did not think enough was being done to make it work.

"Conceptually it is a good document, but it's low on substance. We are very supportive of it, but now we would like to see some action."

Yesterday's report urged a series of steps to implementing the Government's Agenda.

These included making decisions consistent with the United Nations convention on the rights of children, considering family and whanau, and being child-focused.


The report recommended extending a $15 a week tax credit to all low-income families and adjusting family support. Each change would cost about $250 million a year.

All children under 18 should have free, 24-hour health and dental care, and child poverty should be monitored regularly.

Other urgent recommendations:

* Inland Revenue Department to ensure families access tax credits.

* Index all family-related payments, including health subsidies.

* Raise beneficiaries' earning threshold from $80 to $130.

The Making it Happen report

Further reading
nzherald.co.nz/childabuse