Community groups contribute to policy on children

February 29th, 2012

The Community & Whanau Group as made a submission to the Government's Green Paper for Vulnerable Children, as representatives of the district's community organisations.

As well as forwarding to the government the individual submissions of nine local residents and orgahnisations (see our earlier story here), the group made a joint submission under the coordination of Rae Dozell and Linda Glew made a group submission with the help of the youth oriented group Ara Taiohi. Following is the submission:

Family Support Organisations such as the Motueka Family Service Centre, Te Awhina Marae, Strengthening Families, Supporting Families in Mental Illness, and Stopping Violence organisations such as Get Safe and Women's Support Link, along with The Salvation Army, Health Action Trust, Adult Learning Support, Workbridge, Motueka Mentoring , representatives from CYF, Relationship Services counsellors, staff from NMDHB, Community Law, Inland Revenue, local High School Guidance counsellors, Whenua Iti Outdoors, Abel Tasman Educational Trust, Workbridge and many others are representative of those who meet monthly to support Families in the Motueka district. We believe Children needed to be viewed as our treasures and not as a "burden'" Every child must be valued.

Please find some key points that we agree upon along with the individual organisations submissions attached:

The discussion document and the White Paper to follow it must be a Cross Party document, it is not just relevant to the current National Government, but to all future Governments and Political Parties who follow.
Mandatory sharing of information between agencies is more important and relevant than mandatory reporting, with sharing of information reporting will follow as required.
A National Guideline needs to be developed that identifies the process for all those who work with families to identify and report abuse.
Any new government funding needs to include an investment in children and young people.
Funding should follow the children. Especially when children are moving between caregivers. All efforts must be made to include the whole family.
Funding of community initiatives needs to be long term and secure across electoral boundaries.
Vulnerable is a complex and difficult concept to define, children and young people can become vulnerable to different risks or threats at different times and stages in their lives.
The Focus needs to be wider than the Early years - Young people need to be included. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, research has been well documented in such reports as the Gluckman report, Agenda for Children, Care & Protection Blueprint, Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa, all need to continue to be implemented, reflected on and developed. There is no need to develop a new Action plan, build on what is already in place. Legislation must tie in with our responsibilities under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Treaty of Waitangi.
Government departments need to work together more to address the issues of children and young people. Collaboration needs to start at Government level and continue out into the Community.
All children and young people need to have access to a set of basic universal services that is agreed across political parties and sustained long term.
Investment is needed in the workforce supporting children and young people.
We need to reduce youth access to alcohol and other drugs. We recommend implementing the solutions recommended by Alcohol Action, in particular, increasing purchase age and decrease advertising of alcohol. We also recommend a requirement for parental supervision of alcohol use when supplying alcohol to young people who are under the legal purchase age.
Young people need to be protected from exposure to gambling behaviours and advertising, and opportunities to develop gambling habits.
Treatments for addictions and mental illness needs to consider the impact on the whole family/whanau.
There are vulnerable children in isolated communities where many migrant families are settling but have limited access to parenting and other family support. This leads to isolation and lonliness and a general lack of knowledge about "okay" practise for parenting in New Zealand. Mobility of services in rural areas is of critical importance for these situations.

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