Safeguarding Children says today’s handing of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care report to the Governor-General is a significant and important milestone.
The report, which contains recommendations to address systemic failures that have led to widespread abuse, will be publicly released next month.
Founded in 2011 by three community nurses and a detective, Nelson-based Safeguarding Children is New Zealand’s only child safeguarding charity.
CEO Willow Duffy says the Royal Commission’s work means this government has a responsibility to make informed changes to protect future generations of young New Zealanders.
“New Zealand has one of the worst records of child abuse in the world. The Royal Commission’s done an exceptional job of enabling survivors to tell their stories – we’ve all listened and felt for those who’ve been brave enough to front up and share their trauma.
“Having worked in child abuse prevention for 20 years, I have no doubt that the report will show much of our child protection systems are broken,” says Willow Duffy.
“To fix it will require a comprehensive review of The Children’s Act. It must be changed so that New Zealand requires anyone working with tamariki and rangatahi to be vetted. We must also mandate child protection reporting and safeguarding training for anyone working with children and young people.”
Willow Duffy says the training will ensure those working with children can identify the signs of abuse and report them.
“The training is critical. Mandatory reporting without mandatory training is akin to requiring someone to drive a car without giving them a driving lesson. It will lead to disaster with Oranga Tamariki overloaded with unsubstantiated concerns and nothing will be properly investigated.”
“The Royal Commissions work means this government has a wealth of information that no other government has had. It must not waste it. It must enact real and meaningful change to ensure that we create an environment where young New Zealanders are safe both now and in the future.”
