Children taken away by Oranga Tamariki has dropped in the Bay of Plenty. Photo / File
Children taken away by Oranga Tamariki has dropped in the Bay of Plenty. Photo / File
Children with broken skulls, unexplained brain injuries and arms that have been busted for six months are still showing up on Oranga Tamariki's radar in the Bay of Plenty.
The news comes following figures released to the Rotorua Daily Post under the Official Information Act show the department has taken99 fewer children into care or custody in the region -- including 32 fewer in Rotorua - in the last five years.
But one psychotherapist said there should be cause for alarm if the drop in numbers was due to Oranga Tamariki's reluctance to remove children because of recent backlash and scrutiny.
Tamariki
Oranga Tamariki regional manager Tayelva Petley said family harm rates in Rotorua were "very serious" and the intensity of violence was rising.
Children across the region still turned up with unexplained injuries such as broken skulls, unexplained brain injuries or arms that had been broken for half a year, she said.
"Being frank and honest, we've still got work to do.''
Oranga Tamariki Bay of Plenty regional manager Tayelva Petley. Photo / File
She said having care cases drop from 288 to 189 in five years was significant but Oranga Tamariki needed to work with more Māori providers, whānau, iwi, hapū, and those who knew families.
Petley said the agency worked with police, families and other organisations to intervene early.
Oranga Tamariki had doubled the staff in the city for this reason in the last few years and the work had intensified.
"So we don't get to a point that decisions are being made that a child is unsafe," she said.
"Rotorua, in particular, is a very vulnerable place . . . in terms of family harm the statistics are serious, very serious," she said.
She said the harm was more violent and the volume had increased along with drug and alcohol addiction abuse.
"Is it enough? No, we want to keep going. If we can prevent children from coming into state care then we do it," she said.
The agency said in a statement issues of family violence, mental health, addiction, previous physical abuse of older children or neglect are some of the reasons children could be placed into care.
Family Matters child and adolescent psychotherapist Joanne Bruce, based in Rotorua and Tauranga, said fewer children entering care was positive but she would be concerned if there was a reluctance to remove a child due to previous media scrutiny.
She said children taken away from their parents or caregivers experienced "enormous grief and confusion".
"It's devastating for a child to be removed from a parent regardless of how dangerous or how much risk there is in a family," she said.
She said arranged removals and placements with someone who they knew was better but still impacted the development of a child.
Te Tuinga Whanau director Tommy Wilson of is happy to see progress in stopping children from going into Oranga Tamariki care. Photo / Andrew Warner
Tē Tuinga Whānau Support Services Trust director Tommy Wilson said the drop in numbers was promising, and down to open communication with police, government agencies, gangs and families involved.
Those who worked for the trust, based in Tauranga, came from a range of backgrounds which made them more "whānau friendly".
"We've got people who have had the trauma of actually having to uplift children or being lifted . . . people who've had ex-addiction backgrounds, who've had ex-gang backgrounds," he said.
Wilson said the trust had 4000 interventions a year: "we've got a good understanding about what their problem is, what their needs are and what their solutions are," he said.
He said most of the time, something could be done to prevent a child taken away.
"If you've got a good filter that can connect with those families before you get to the crisis point of lifting, then you're going to see the results that we're seeing."
Collaboration with Oranga Tamariki and the police meant effective plans could be developed to prevent children from being up-lifted.
"It's not about moving the ambulance to another cliff . . . it's about working out how you can put different drivers in the ambulance before it gets to the cliff."
Oranga Tamariki said in the OIA there needed to be valid and verified concerns for the safety of the child, and the Family Court needed to agree the concerns were warranted, to enter the care of the agency.
The different warrants and custody orders were broadly grouped into three categories – care agreements, urgent entry to care or custody, and arranged entry to care or custody.
The agency said in a statement issues of family violence, mental health, addiction, previous physical abuse of older children or neglect are some of the reasons children could be placed into care.
The number of cases in the Bay of Plenty region has dropped from 288 in 2015 to 189 in 2019. Last year, most of these cases, 48 in total, were children aged 0-1.
Meanwhile, Tauranga dropped from 93 in the 2015 financial year to 51 in the 2019 financial year.
Whakatāne and Taupō dropped by more than 10 cases and Tokoroa remained steady.
Warrants and custody orders
Care agreements -A child enters care through a voluntary agreement with the parents, guardians or usual carer. -From 28 days to 2 years.
Urgent entry to care or custody -Interim orders or warrants which result in the transfer of the custody of a child to Oranga Tamariki until a final decision on the child's care can be made. -Can only be used if there is an immediate concern for the safety and wellbeing of tamariki when all other intervention options have been considered.
Arranged entry to care or custody -An arranged entry to custody of Oranga Tamariki and will usually occur after a Family Group Conference has been held. Source: Oranga Tamariki
