KEY POINTS:
Details emerged last night of an alleged culture of smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol and learning bush and hunting skills - including handling firearms - at CYFS courses in the Bay of Plenty.
Here is the latest selection of Your Views:
Glen
It appears that if you want to become a career criminal in this day and age, one needs to start young. These guys appear to be well on their way to a cosy bed at one of NZ's prisons. Who knows - maybe a bed in prison would see them better off than their current circumstances?
Sharon
Just another case of Labour putting resources in bureaucracy, not front line. Look at the police, prison service, health boards to name but a few. Just another opportunity for the government to generate yet another enquiry (costing more money) and in the process look good by being outraged, but the real underlying cause is lack of resources and underqualified and overworked staff.
Pay Peanuts, Get Monkeys
As with most other Government departments CYF's is severely under funded. This results in poor resources and under qualified staff. Due to the better pay and benefits that are offered to those that work for the private sector rather than the government, departments such as CYF's also have a very high turn over of staff, which also creates problems. A total revamp, not just of CYF's, but of all Government departments needs to take place to ensure that such departments are able to deliver services to the public of the utmost quality. It appalls me that the Government is reluctant to invest money into their own businesses and employees.
Daisy
This is unbelievable its time there is a clean out in this department and whats more according to Sue Bradford these sort of youths should have a vote shortly! Come on - what is this country coming to. We lower drinking age - we want them to vote - we can't smack them when they need it (not abuse) and now we are teaching them at courses how to be abusive etc etc. No wonder the votes on the polls say that NZ is not a safe place - For Gods sake wake up and bring in some discpline and get some people with a 'brain' into Parliament.
Pedro, BOP
Bring back conscription, live in cadets for younger problem people, overseas postings and prison ships anchored in Foveaux straight. Why build more new prisons on good prime land.
Cyfswatch
What should be done about CYFS? We have been telling you what to do about CYFS since January 24th 2007, when the CYFSWATCH site was launched (www.cyfswatch.org):1/ Hold a Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Department of Child, Youth, and Family, with wide terms of reference, and include parental and family submissions to the Commission.2/ Establish a CYFS Complaints Authority separate from Government, and staffed by qualified and experienced private citizens, not Government appointees. This Authority would have the power to censure, sack, and prosecute CYFS Social Workers for negligence, incompetence, illegal, and abusive conduct.3/ Recognise that the current "accountability" system for CYFS is "accountability" in name only. The process of complaining to a CYFS Social Worker, then to a CYFS Social Work Supervisor, then to a CYFS Branch Manager, then to the Department of Child Youth and Family, then to the Social Workers Registration Board, then to the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers, then to Minister of CYF Ruth Dyson, then to Minister of Social Development David Benson Pope, then to the Office of the Childrens Commissioner Cindy Kiro, and finally then to the Ombudsman is an exercise in futility, as the entire process is a self-perpetuating self protective quango weighted in favour of the state sanctioned offenders - the CYFS Social Workers.4/ Review the 1989 Children, Young Persons, and the Families Act. Nowhere in the entire Act is any sanction agaisnt a CYFS Social Worker who is negligent, incompetent, acts illegally, or is abusive to clients.5/ Investigate the over 300 complaints that CYFSWATCH have now received about CYFS Social Workers on its site. Just 3 complaints about unacceptable police conduct was sufficient to trigger a Government Commission of Enquiry - how many complaints are needed about CYFS Social Workers before the Government cries "enough"?
TC
The whole department is a joke. Time to get rid of the soft touch that is not working and go back to the hard yards. If punishment fitted the crime, instead of treating bad people as the 'poor hard-done by' they may learn some discipline and some self control.
Jacqueline Berry
What can be done about CYF...this department has been out of control in NZ family life..for decades.I and my family are products of this Department..and it dealings with New Zealand families .in my case..they entered my parents life before I was born in 1951..and didnt leave un til the early seventees. The effect of this in my home was incredible .and what we are dealing with in these days.are adult generational issues from a generation that was torn apart by this department..and now we have the new generation.this department and its unhealthy policies need pulling down and rebuilding to help the children of NZ..and not produce more crime statistics as we are.
