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 andFamily social workers in six hospitals around the country
- develop multiagency plans to protect hospitalised children on their release
- run a multimedia awareness campaign.
Promoting child development
We know that for children to develop to their full potential they need to have a sense of belonging – to a place and to their whānau. We are 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.
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. In our region, we work with organisations to support families who don’t need our help but who would benefit from community-based social services. All of our offices are using this new approach.
Teen Parent Service Co-ordinators
Teen parents can face more obstacles than other parents. In particular they can be reluctant to ask for the services they need. Our Teen Parent Service Co-ordinators are based in Gisborne (with Te Aka Ora) and in Hastings (with Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga). The Co-ordinators make sure young parents are connected to local support networks and services. We also work with teen parents at the William Colenso Teen Parent Unit, to help them to stay in education throughout their pregnancy and in motherhood.
Violence-free relationships
Everyone should feel safe and nurtured in their own family. In the Hawke’s Bay we are working with a number of other agencies in the Local Initiative for Violence Elimination (LIVE). This group invests in preventing family violence through culturally relevant approaches. Tairawhiti Men against Violence is continuing to engage their community in promoting positive parenting and, especially, celebrating being a dad.
