Progress To Improve NZ’s Child Protection System Welcomed

The Early Childhood Council is welcoming the government’s new approach to the child protection system announced by Hon Louise Upston, saying the proposed changes will improve child safety while being less punitive to childcare providers than what we have now.

“ECC has long been outspoken on child safety – in 2022 we were proud to adopt a policy helping ECC members support their staff to proactively report suspected abuse, even though it wasn’t mandatory,” said ECC CEO Simon Laube.

“Cases like Malachi Subecz’s highlighted clear systemic weaknesses in the child protection system, and that timely and decisive change was needed. Childcare providers rely on parents trusting them with their children’s safety, so it’s obvious action was needed to tighten the system – we should be doing better. The recent changes are about education, training and having overlapping safety nets so that no child falls through the cracks - providers will welcome improvements.”

“The reality is, we can always do more to improve child safety. For example, a more proactive risk-based approach in ECE to pick up potential workers who’ve not yet been convicted of a specific offence or where Police investigated but cases don’t meet the very high bar needed for prosecution. We believe the system should err on the side of caution, because in our sector it’s our number-one job to care for our children, who are inherently vulnerable and so need strong protection,” said Simon Laube.

ECC has raised concerns about the current child protection system for some time, because providers feel anxiety and confusion working within it. Ministry of Education and Education Review Office investigations often had different interpretations of the rules, and in the worst cases took a hard line on perceived non-compliance, leading to licences being removed for minor administrative errors and misunderstandings within the system.

“This is welcome progress towards improving child safety, and we thank Minister Upston for her leadership. We will watch with interest as the changes are implemented, and are happy to work with the Government to ensure a smooth roll-out,” said ECC CEO Simon Laube.

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