Presentation on Child Protection in New Zealand

The history of social work is interwoven with the history of adoption. After the First World War women's roles changed forever. They were expected to find paid employment - that is the ones that could not find a husband to keep them. There was a huge shortage of single men, and for the first time single middle class women looked for work. Many went into social work in private agencies with a philanthropic fervour (men had always done this work prior to the first world war) They brought with it a bitterness, punitiveness, and a huge chip of moral outrage to their undeserving clients who so desperately needed their help.

History of Social Work

"Social work is meant to be the assisting of families, children, and individuals with social, interpersonal, financial, and medical issues. Employees in the field of social work are most commonly social workers or social and human services assistants. They assess clients' needs and determine what programs or counsel will help them live full, happy lives.“ If you want to go into adoption you should pick social work.

Today social work has turned into policing parents for child abuse or possibility of child abuse under laws and policies.

What is Social Work?

Prior to 1926 - guardianship, wardship and the private adoption of mainly older children were the norm. The 'bad blood theory' prevented most people from adopting infants - as adopted parents wished to see how the child progressed before making a commitment.

Government propaganda changed this to babies & young children through race social engineering, Christianity promoting big families and laws stopping adopted children from

inheriting.

History of Adoption

Post WWII Adoption

Social worker's responsibility toward unwed mothers (in fact any mother) regarding adoption of her child, was to advise of financial assistance and alternatives that might enable her to keep her child, warn of the risk of dire future regret and the potential psychological harm that such a course of action may cause her, and only when she insisted upon the surrender of her child did an adoption proceed.

Sadly, that didn’t occur and instead we had the "Baby Scoop Era" from 1945 to 1973.

Millions of single mothers were indirectly or directly -- and often cruelly -- coerced into giving up their children, often after a stint in a "maternity home”.

Is this back under “Teen Parent’s Programme of Action” with $14,901,000 tax-paid allocated between 2010/2014.

Are there any checks and balances to make sure we don’t repeat history?

Forced Adoption

We used to understand people become responsible as responsibility is placed upon them..... that they rose to the challenge.

Not any more! Any past child/teenage struggle –family

violence, depression, anger issue, drug & alcohol use, Psychiatric treatment or disorder makes you a possible child abuser.

You are deemed an unfit parent.

New Mums are worried

They are all over the internet asking mother’s groups what to do when they receive letters from CYF saying they are taking their baby from birth, to attend a meeting and get a lawyer.

Meeting decisions have already been decided as CYF Psychologists/Doctors have been used to show the mother/father unfit parents.

Under judges discretion, some receive no notice.

New Mums are Panicking

In New Zealand, police and social workers are in the hospital when babies are being delivered.

Babies are taken from the delivery room and mother placed in the gynecology ward or sent home.

Under CYF practice, if a baby or child has spent more than 50% in CYF care, they are considered to have bonded with another family.

So if CYF take your newborn at hospital, chances are, ‘You won’t get them back’.

All parents are panicking

In “Attachment And Separation: What Everyone Should Know” Dr. Peter Cook wrote,“Infants may develop attachments to other members of the family or carers, who can take mother's place for a while. But if mother does not return soon, some infants can become quite distressed, with crying and an increase of behaviors designed to bring the mother and infant together again. If the separation lasts for some days, the first state of crying and 'protest' may be replaced by a mood of quiet unhappiness or despair...It is painful to go on experiencing such hurt, angry and even depressed feelings, and eventually the infant may pass into a state which has been termed 'detachment'."

Mother & Baby Attachment

Families are fleeing countries to keep children (if they can leave the country).

Women are depressed while pregnant and after their babies are taken from them.

Pregnant women are placed in prison if they are considered a risk to the unborn baby.

Homes for teenagers are being set up for pregnant mums and babies by government.

Is this close to Child Trafficking?

Actions & Reactions

In 1974 Walter Mondale promoted the Child Abuse and Prevention Act which began feeding massive amounts of federal funding to states to set up programs to combat child abuse and neglect. From that came Child "Protective" Services, as we know it today.

After the bill passed, Mondale himself expressed concerns that it could be misused. He worried that it could lead states to create a "business" in dealing with children. 

Start of Child Protection

The money provides support for prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution, fostercare, respite care, ‘home for life’, adoption

Treatment activities and grants to public agencies and non-profit organisations for programs and projects

Research, evaluation, technical assistance, data collection, laws and policies

Facilities, offices, vehicles, profits for investors And of course to extend the definition of child

abuse for greater government investment - $$$$

Child "protection" is one of the biggest businesses in the country

The money goes to thousands of state employees.

Politicians, Policy developers, Lawyers, court personnel, judges, court Psychologists

CYF venders such as education providers, counselors, therapists, junk psychologists, trackers, foster parents, adoption agencies

Every year thousands of school leavers are ready to enter child abuse services.

Child "protection“ provides 1000’s of jobs and careers

Police Ministry of Health Ministry of Education, Early Childhood

Education Ministry of Education, NZ Schools Trustees

Assoc. Departments of Corrections Family Court New Zealand Fire Service

Government Organisations who provide CYF information about you and your family

NZ association of social workers

Open Home Foundation

Royal New Zealand Plunket Society

NZ council of victim support

Royal college of General Practitioners

Barnodos IHC Collective of

women’s refuges National network of

stopping violence Citizen’s advice

bureaux NZ association of

counsellors

Non Government Organisations (NGOs) who provide CYF information about you and your

family

Under Children, Young Persons, and their Families (CYF) Act 1989, children’s welfare takes precedent over privacy when it comes to collecting information from any government agency and NGO.

It will soon be a criminal offense to not report child abuse or the ‘possibility’ of child abuse – (under new law).

Doctors once fought a law making it compulsory for them to report ‘possible’ abuse saying, “Parents will keep children away”.

All Government departments and NGOs must provide information on you & your family.

Compulsory reporting from police increased notifications

Notice the huge increase of notifications and ‘No further action required’.

As we widened the net, many more families were caught in it

Notifications needing further investigation

Majority of families investigated and

requiring further action didn’t abuse

Type of abuse found – from those who abused their children

All parents are possible Psychological child abusers

The new bill titled, ‘Children’s & Families Protection Act’ will also make Psychological abuse a criminal offense.

It’s intention is to protect children from witnessing domestic violence.

France has outlawed Psychological abuse on partners and Skeptics wonder how lawyers will determine what part of an argument is a criminal offense and who is guilty.

Both victim and perpetrator will be considered child abusers.

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 & Out Years

$ 0 $ 1,405,000 $ 1,732,000 $ 1,732,000 $ 1,732,000

Years affected Increase amount per year

Care and Protection Services

Social workers are moving into HospitalsGovernment budget

Robyn Stent, the countries first health and disability commissioner, says the specialist care and protection unit of Starship hospital is “Out of control”

Parents are losing all their children to CYF and have to fight to get them back even after being found to have no case to answer to.

Senior Pediatric says too many good parents are being caught in the protection unit’s net.

Starship makes no apology and says their concern is the children.

Guilty until proven innocent

Emergency Respite Care

Home for life Adoption

New Type of Childcare

Foster Care

Permanent Care

Market ‘ways to care’ assessments and training with local communities

Offer ‘home for life’ support package to all caregivers Partner with 2 main caregiver agencies – Open Home

Foundation & Bernados Engage the business community in sponsorship

programme Special emphasis on the Pacific Community Measure progress with permanency goals nationwide – Do I hear that awful word ‘QUOTAS’?

Home for LifeGovernment Goals

The original aim of the drive, was to reduce the amount of time children spend languishing in CYF care before finding a permanent home.

The number of newborn babies removed from their parents had almost doubled.

Yet the policy failed to reduce the number of infants murdered - which rose.

White baby girls with no health problems are highest in demand.

UK Scrapped child adoption TARGETS

Training to become a foster parent Help with applying through the family court Give upfront payment of $2,500 Baby starter pack for under 2’s Give access to support for respite care,

counselling and medicines Check in every 3 months or visit every 6

months Put you on WINZ unsupported child benefit

Home for Life Package

A home for life will have been achieved when all of the following has occurred:

The child/young person is in an approved home for life placement

The caregivers have obtained legal orders to secure the home for life placement

Custody orders in favour of the CE have been discharged.

When will a ‘home for life’ be achieved

CYF support home for life parents applying for custody also referred to a Parenting Order. It gives the responsibility of providing day-to-day care and is usually the final step in the home for life parents assuming legal responsibility for the child or young person.

These orders are not reviewed: the child or young person is now part of that family and the placement does not require monitoring.

Custody

It is important that home for life parents have the appropriate status for dealing with the needs of the children or young people who are now part of their family.

For this reason it is best that home for life parents apply for additional guardianship alongside the parenting or custody orders.

This way, parents are still responsible financially and can pay child support.

I’d hate to see this ABUSED - a business in itself.

Guardianship

There may be some cases where the birth parents remaining as additional guardians is not appropriate. This may be where working with a child or young person’s birth parents has proved particularly challenging or they are actively undermining or endangering the child’s safety or wellbeing.

All costs belong to new parents.

Guardianship 2

Under CYF –

depends on the child

Clothing paid Education paid Medical bills paid Counselling paid Camps paid Other costs covered

Under 5 years- $134.91 per week 5–9 years - $156.56 10-13 years - $172.77 14+ years - $188.88

Child Support that’s over benefit cost – (Unsupported child benefit)

Available Financial Support

Foster Care Home for Life

Permanent care goals agreed

The child’s ongoing permanent care

The child will be in a home for life if they haven’t returned home

Legal orders to support home for life will have been sought

Within 3 months of coming into care

Within 6 months Within 12

months Within 18

months

Once your children are in care this is what you can expect

Decision to be made Time Frame

For Children under 5 years

Permanent care goals agreed

The child’s ongoing permanent care

The child will be in a home for life if they haven’t returned home

Legal orders to support home for life will have been sought

Within 3 months of coming into care

Within 12 months

Within 18 months

Within 24 months

Once your children are in care this is what you can expect

Decision to be made Time Frame

For Children 5 years & over

‘If we really cared about the interests of the child, we would take children away as babies and put them into permanent adoptive families, where we know they will have the best possible outcome.’

Head of Ireland Bernados says

Caseworkers often are caught in a Catch – 22 situation, where they would have to doctor paperwork or have to acknowledge that they are not doing their job.

Benjamin Wolf – American Civil Liberties Union,

September, 1996.

The results are devastating

Falsification of records

Perpetrators of MaltreatmentChild abuse & Neglect in Washington

ParentsCYF/Fostercare

Physical – 160

Sexual – 112

Neglect – 410

Medical Neglect – 14

Fatalities – 6.4

59

13

241

12

1.5New Zealand Statistics not available

Our social workers normally hit the headlines when a child abuse - horror story comes to light, showing how they failed to intervene when a child was so maltreated by its parents that it died.

What don't usually make the news, however, are the hundreds of cases when the social workers' failure is the very opposite: where, aided by police and courts, they seem determined to remove children from responsible parents, to consign them to an often miserable life with foster carers or to adoption.

Why must we fight back?

If you are interested in learning more

ContactJulie Whitehouse

Auckland Single Parents TrustEmail: julie@singleparents.org.nz