June 08, 2020
Tough stories highlight Oranga Tamariki flaws
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The Children’s Commissioner says now is the time for a fundamental change in the child protection system.
Andrew Becroft has released Te Kuku o te Manawa, the first part of his office’s report on Oranga Tamariki.
It looks in-depth at the lived experiences of 12 mothers and whānau who have had babies removed by the agency or its predecessor, Child Youth and Family.
He says the women acknowledged what they may have done wrong, but they could not accept the way the state grabbed their babies, nor the lack of help and support they got before and after.
Their voices will help shape the recommendations he will make to Oranga Tamariki in the final report.
He says having an effective, culturally-appropriate state system is in everyone’s interests.
“The dream is the state system shrinks, the need for it decreases, and wherever possible resources and power, to be blunt, is transferred to iwi and Māori organisations so that it can be a by Māori for Māori system. I guess we’re talking about a revolution by devolution,” Commissioner Beecroft says.
Such a transfer of resources is required in the legislation and is an attainable vision.
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