Social service agencies must be funded to assist Child, Youth and Family

“The government must urgently address funding shortfalls in community social service agencies if they can adequately assist CYF in addressing the causes of child abuse that results in demand for care and protection services,” said Brenda Pilott, PSA National Secretary commenting on a government review of CYF.

The review released yesterday notes the important role of family support services provided by the Non-Government Organisation sector working in partnership with Child, Youth and Family to address the increasing number of family violence notifications.

“The government cannot continue to allow poor funding of the social services sector to drive down wages and conditions for staff carrying out this important work. A funding increase and changes to funding arrangements are vital to ensure these agencies are of high quality.”

“It is important for CYF to work with family violence and community organisations but these organisations need to be properly funded for the crucial role they play in preventing and addressing family violence.”

“We welcome the commitment from CYF that working with NGOs will not involve CFY off-loading cases to community organisations but rather ensure a collaborative approach to dealing with family violence and the protection of children,” said Brenda Pilott.

“The merger of CYF into the Ministry of Social Development means it’s well-placed to deliver on its statutory role of care and protection of the nation’s children while working effectively with community organisations.”

The PSA is New Zealand's largest union and has over 55,000 members from central and local government, health and community services including both in Child, Youth and Family and in the NGO sector.

ENDS

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