Keeping kids safe
Children’s early years are vital to their long-term development; they are also the time children are most at risk.
All families want to do their best by raising their children in a healthy, safe and nurturing environment, but some families are more vulnerable and need additional support. From experience we know that the earlier families get support, the better off their children are in the long term. Our focus will be on getting this help to all families who need support but with a particular emphasis on families with children aged under two years.
Never Ever Shake a Baby
The Government recently announced a set of initiatives to further protect vulnerable infants, including a new campaign reminding people to Never Ever Shake a Baby. The initiatives are designed to help protect our children aged under two years and feature advertising, new-parent education, community-worker support for abused children and for families, and protection of abuse victims. It focuses on new parents (especially young men) and it is expected to reach up to 5,000 new parents a year.
In 2009/2010, we will:
- put Child, Youth and Family social workers in six hospitals around the country
- develop multiagency plans to protect hospitalised children on their release
- run a multimedia awareness campaign.
Responding when we’re needed
Differential Response means we can respond more creatively to families’ needs when they come to the attention of Child, Youth and Family and we can work more closely with social service providers in the community. We work with organisations to support families who don’t need our help but who would benefit from community-based social services.
This year we’ll implement Differential Response in Horowhenua, Dannevirke and the Wairarapa, working face-to-face with family and service providers to develop solutions that work for families’ unique situations. We are also making sure children and young people spend as little time as possible in care. Living with whānau or their broader hapū or iwi also helps them to feel secure.
Early Years Service Hubs
Early Years Service Hubs improve the accessibility of services for families who are at risk of missing out on the services available to them. The Hubs are a central point where families can access a range of services including antenatal care, Well Child health checks and immunisation programmes, and quality childcare and education for under five-year-olds. There are 13 Hubs nationally, with two hubs in the Central Region, based in Levin and Pahiatua.
Violence-free relationships
There is an increased awareness of family violence and of how to access services and support to help build violence-free family relationships. We are committed to making sure families in our region are safe.
We are working closely with agencies such as the Manawatu Abuse Intervention Network (MAIN), Women’s Refuge, Wairarapa Violence Free-Campaign and Family Violence Network to provide an integrated response to families in crisis.
