Safeguarding Children is urging the government to tread carefully before making a final decision on whether to introduce the mandatory reporting of child abuse.
ACT Leader Hon. David Seymour has said the government is considering changing the law so it mandates people who work with children to report any child abuse concerns.
Dame Karen Poutasi recommended mandatory reporting be introduced in her report into the death of 5 year old Malachi Subecz’s who was murdered by his caregiver. The report said several opportunities to help Malachi were not reported to authorities.
Safeguarding Children CEO Willow Duffy says introducing the mandatory reporting of child abuse might seem like a commonsense decision but it’s not that simple.
“Mandatory reporting must only be introduced as part of a package that also requires anyone who works with children to be trained in how to identify the signs of child abuse.
“This training is crucial and is already mandatory in some overseas countries. It ensures people know what to look for and how to work with children and their families. This results in more efficient reporting and fewer false alarms,” says Willow Duffy.
“Introducing mandatory reporting alone is the same as telling someone they must drive a car without showing them how – it could lead to disaster. Mandatory training is a necessary safety belt for the sector.”
Willow Duffy says introducing mandatory reporting alone could result in teachers reporting every little fear to Oranga Tamariki.
“Our prediction is complaint numbers would surge, Oranga Tamariki would be overwhelmed and there would be huge delays in serious concerns being investigated. That would lead to vulnerable children being left in dangerous situations – just like Malachi.”
Safeguarding Children is also calling for a full review of The Children’s Act to ensure it includes mandatory child protection training for anyone providing services for children and young people.
“We know our babies and under fives are most vulnerable to the impacts of child abuse, however, older children are abused too. Every child deserves the same opportunity to be protected from abuse so we need to look beyond the early childhood sector,” says Willow Duffy.
“Child protection training should be part of the registration process for any professional working with children, and part of any government licensing or funding process.”
“New Zealand has some of the worst child abuse statistics in the world – a move to mandatory reporting alone will make the situation worse. Our government has an opportunity to make a fundamental change to protect not only children today but future generations. We urge the government to take that step.”
About Safeguarding Children
Born from a profound need for child protection training in Aotearoa New Zealand, Safeguarding Children emerged in 2011 as the brainchild of community nurses and police staff. With extensive frontline expertise in child protection and violence prevention, they identified a lack of training as a significant barrier to protecting children and a contributing factor to Aotearoa New Zealand’s alarming child abuse and neglect records.
Safeguarding Children now works through fee-paying services, grants, and donations to deliver training to anyone working or volunteering with children. It has a free child protection training module available for free for all ECE staff and Safeguarding Children is a SELO-approved provider. Uptake remains varied while the training is not mandatory.
