Chester Borrows MP
National Party Police and Youth Justice Spokesman

4 November 2007

CYFS paperwork takes precedence over young lives

Child Youth & Family social workers are again showing they are more worried about case management than effective interventions for young offenders, says National Party Police and Youth Justice spokesman Chester Borrows.

“I am astonished to discover that CYFS has introduced a new policy that will see youth justice social workers having to take on care and protection work if a Family Group Conference is called by police.

“Police Youth Aid officers are feeling the pressure of CYFS care and protection social workers pushing for FGCs just so paperwork can be shovelled on to the youth justice side of their organisation.

“The whole reason youth justice social work was separated off last year was to prevent their work being clogged up with care and protection issues.

“At this rate we’ll be back to seeing errant youths never being dealt with in a timely way, and resolutions from FGCs being toned right down. And then the public will heap scorn on the whole process and youth justice will quickly return to being the ‘poor cousin’ within MSD.

“Care and protection issues can be addressed contemporaneously without once again making bigger losers out of youth offenders who deserve our best interventions.

Ends

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