How child protection in New Zealand works

1. Presentation on Child Protection in New Zealand

2. History of Social Work 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.

3. "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?

4. History of Adoption 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.

5. 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.

6. 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

7. New Mums are worried 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.

8. 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

9. 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 gynecologyward 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

10. Mother & Baby Attachment 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'."

11. 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

12. Start of Child Protection 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.

13. Child "protection" is one of the biggest businesses in the country 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 - $$$$

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

15. Government Organisations who provide CYF information about you and your family 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

16. Non Government Organisations (NGOs) 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

17. 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.

18. Compulsory reporting from police increased notifications Notice the huge increase of notifications and ‘No further action required’.

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

20. Notifications needing further investigation Majority of families investigated and requiring further action didn’t abuse

21. Type of abuse found – from those who abused their children

22. 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.

23. Social workers are moving into Hospitals Government budget Care and Protection Services Years affected Increase amount per year 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

24. 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

26. 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

27. 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

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

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

32. 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

33. 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

35. Home for LifeUnder 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)

37. Time FramePermanent 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

39. Time FramePermanent 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

40. Head of Ireland Bernados says ‘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.’

41. 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

43. Why must we fight back? 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.

44. If you are interested in learning more Contact Julie Whitehouse Auckland Single Parents Trust Email: julie@singleparents.org.nz