Statement of Intent 2006 - Our core business - dealing with abuse, neglect and offending
This section includes descriptions of our work in key areas. It also includes a brief description of our Adoption services, a minor but important role for Child, Youth and Family.
Dealing With Child Abuse and Neglect
When abuse, neglect or insecurity of care is reported to us, we assess and when necessary investigate the situation. If there is an urgent need to ensure the child is safe, we arrange care. We involve Police, Health and Education agencies in investigations if necessary. If the need for action is less urgent we can arrange short term help through a Family/Whanau Agreement.
Where Care and Protection plans are needed we develop these through Family Group Conferences. These include the child or young person and others such as family members, and people from government, including Police, and community groups. We work with all participants to implement plans for the long-term wellbeing of children and young people at risk.
We provide or fund services in collaboration with the wider social services sector, to help children, young people and their families address common issues, improve family functioning and promote wellbeing. We also provide the government and others with research, evaluation and advice on policies relating to services for children, young people, families and communities.
Notifications of suspected child abuse or neglect are continuing to increase. The numbers of substantiated cases has also risen over the last four years.
Our core business
| In 2004/2005 we received | 53,097 | notices of suspected child abuse or neglect |
| In 2006/2007 we expect | 73,437 | notifications |
| We expect | 73% | of these will require further action |
| Approximately | 7612 | Family Group Conferences will be held |
| Approximately | 3697 | children and young people will be newly placed in care |
| There will be about | 5148 | children and young people in care |
| About | 17,972 | children and young people will need our services |
| About | 13,000 | children and young people will have abuse or neglect substantiated |
Patricia’s Story
Now sitting in a new office, not far from Child, Youth and Family’s office where she is on secondment from her supervisor post, Patricia is bursting with plans and ideas about how to change the family violence landscape in her region that has seen some of the country’s worst cases of child abuse and child deaths in recent years.
Family Safety Teams are a new concept and one that is putting all her qualifications – a Bachelor of Social Work from Massey – and her skills and experience to their fullest use.
The Family Safety Teams is a pilot initiative launched in July 2005 with two teams already operational in other regions. Two more teams will be operating in other parts of the country within the next nine months.
Each team has 10 members led by a team leader. Patricia is one of two Child, Youth and Family child victim advocates. Other members are drawn from the police and community sector.
The team’s role is to share information on family violence, develop best practice and ensure access to services. They work closely with community service providers, which are also represented on the team.
About 10 children are killed every year in family violence situations and the team’s work will be crucial in providing a more integrated approach to family violence, thereby addressing poorer coordination of responses by different agencies.
Patricia has been kept very busy in the past couple of months, since the formation of the team. They’ve found new premises, set up new systems and policies, designed a new referral form, met with many community service providers and prepared a presentation to the community.
At the moment, Patricia is involved in designing the equivalent of the Risk Evaluation System for family violence victims. Once the police member comes on board then the team will be doing more outreach work with the community. Patricia is grateful for the support she has had from the local office to release her for this secondment, despite existing pressures of work on the team. Patricia says she opted for the secondment because she saw family violence as one of the big issues in her region, and thinks ‘not necessarily the numbers but the extent of family violence in the area is unique’.
(Patricia is not our social worker’s real name. The community and region have also not been named).
Dealing with Youth Offending
Our Youth Justice work concerns those children and young people who are referred to us by the Police. Depending on the nature of their offending, some of these children and young people will also be facing Court proceedings. The Family Group Conference is the main process we use to find solutions. A conference will involve the victim should they choose to attend, the offender, the Police, Child, Youth and Family, and often members of the offender’s family.
We work with everyone involved in a Family Group Conference to hold the young person accountable and develop plans to prevent re-offending. When we have agreement on a plan, we work with families to carry it out, including compliance with any Court orders. If a child or young person is placed in the custody or guardianship of Child, Youth and Family, we arrange the necessary care, including residential services when required.
Children and young people referred to us by Police, currently number about 8500-9500 a year. Depending on the nature of their offending, some will also be facing Court proceedings.
Our core business
| In 2004/2005 | 8,153 | young people were referred to Child, Youth and Family by Police |
| In 2006/2007 we expect about | 10,486 | referrals |
| We expect to convene about | 7,654 | Youth Justice Family Group Conferences |
| We expect to have about | 150 | young people in placement or detention |
Sarah’s Story
“The Family Group Conference [FGC] was really hard. It was the first time I’d been through something like that. Before going to the conference I felt stuck, like I couldn’t see the way forward. One of my victims came to the conference. Seeing her was heart-pounding, I was really tense.
“I gave written apologies to my victims and a verbal apology to the one who attended the conference. For me, the verbal apology was the hardest thing ever. I didn’t want to do it but I knew I needed to, that it was the right thing to do. After the FGC we shook hands. That was pretty great.
“The recommendations [from the FGC] were there for me to show I was remorseful, to be accountable for what I’d done. They were really hard. I had to follow my bail conditions and go to counselling. I had to go live in another place and I had to pay reparation for the damage I’d done.”
Sarah, 16, was charged with aggravated robbery, an offence that can lead to jail and a lifetime criminal record. The Youth Court ordered a Family Group Conference for Sarah, her family, her victim and the social agencies involved. The Child, Youth and Family Youth Justice co-ordinator organised the FGC.
“Sarah’s family was prepared to hold her accountable for her offending and to support her to not re-offend,” the co-ordinator says. “Her family’s commitment made all the difference to the outcomes for Sarah.”
After successfully meeting the demands of the court, Sarah was given a discharge by Police, which means she will not have a criminal record. She has since been living offence-free in the community.
(Sarah is not our client’s real name).
Adoption Services
Our Adoption service assesses people who wish to adopt children and reports to the Family Court on adoption applications. We also help adopted people and birth parents involved in past “closed” adoptions to exchange identifying information, if they wish to do so. We maintain records, act as intermediaries if required, and provide advice and information.
Our core business
| In 2005/2006 we will assess | 418 | applications to adopt a child |
| In 2006/2007 we expect about | 450 | applications to adopt |
| We expect about | 1100 | requests for adoption information. |
Matthew’s Story
“I received a letter one day, out of the blue, from a Child, Youth and Family social worker, saying she had some personal information for me. She was from Adoption services, so I thought I knew what it would be about. I figured it might be something about my birth mother, who I had traced but not contacted.
“I phoned the social worker [Sally], who explained that she had a letter for me. It was from my birth father. It was up to me whether I wanted it or not, and whether I wanted him to know my contact details. I did want the letter and I didn’t mind him knowing about me. I had always thought I might never find out who he was.
“Sally came to my house with the letter. She told me what Child, Youth and Family knew about my birth father and explained that he had sent the letter to them, asking them to pass it on. It was a closed adoption, in the sixties, so of course he never knew what had happened to me. She said Child, Youth and Family very rarely heard from birth fathers like that.
“Sally left me to read the letter by myself, which was just as well, because I howled. What really got me was that my birth father and his wife had celebrated my birthday every year. Not many things in life are so sweet and so sad at the same time.
“My birth father and I are in contact now and we will meet sometime. Child, Youth and Family also helped me relocate my birth mother again – I had traced her, but then lost her again. I hadn’t realised they could help search, but they found her in a few days. Now it’s up to me to get in touch.
“I got a lot of information from Sally about reunions, different ways to make contact and so on. It’s still a mind-bender. But I’ll do it.”
(Matthew is not our client’s real name; the social worker’s name has also been changed).
