June 28, 2016
Right support needed for tough families
The chair of North Island Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency Te Pou Matakana says the sentencing of a Rotorua pair for the killing of a three-year-old left in their care shows the need for a shake up of service delivery agencies.
Tania Shailer and David Haerewa were yesterday sentenced to 17 years for the manslaughter of Moko Rangitoheriri.
There was a rally outside the courtroom and marches in many other centres calling for an end to violence against children.
Merepeka Raukawa Tait says while it was good to see the community response, it will happen again if the right support systems aren't in place.
She says many agencies working in the area are ineffective and need to make way for whanau ora providers who know their communities.
"We know the families in our communities who have multiple needs. They are heavy duty families and you have to have the right people to offer support, or they will tell you to get lost. It's the identification of those families, it's working with the whole families, not just the children, not just the mum, everyone in that household needs to be supported to move to a better place," Mrs Raukawa Tait says.
MEREPEKA RAUKAWA TAIT INTERVIEW
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