Child Youth And Family Forced to Leave Kids Unattended in Waiting Room

The government’s incompetence in dealing with at-risk kids has cost Auckland dairy owner Arun Kumar his life, says New Zealand First Social Development Spokesperson Darroch Ball.

“Too many kids are slipping through the cracks and not getting the help they need because Child Youth and Family (CYF) thresholds are simply too high.

“The pressure on government departments to achieve Better Public Service targets is significant. Revelations from the Ministry of Social Development’s four-year budget plan showed CYF under significant financial pressure. National has abandoned these kids by allowing CYF to continue to struggle.

“This was always going to push thresholds up leaving more kids languishing in the waiting room unattended. Only 500 of the 3500 kids mentioned in family violence reports in Waitakere alone are getting any sort of intervention. Nationally, just 13 per cent of children reported to CYF get any kind of intervention.

“If Minister for Social Development Anne Tolley believes that the Children’s Teams trial will fix this she is wrong. These teams are still only being evaluated as a ‘proof of concept’. National has not made addressing at-risk children a priority over seven years in government.

“We need to listen to the Chief Executives of CYF who say they need funding and resources to prevent these tragedies. We need to invest in the prevention of inter-generational neglect and abuse, says Mr Ball.

“This is the state’s responsibility.”

ENDS

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