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Archived Press Releases 2009 26th January 2009

A Gauntlet to Children's Welfare Agencies

(26th January 2009)

An Open Letter to all the Organisations who purport to care about Children / Family welfare, from Christine Davey, Sensible Sentencing's Spokesperson on Drug Issues and Children's Welfare.

Who are you?
What are you doing?
What are you achieving?

Let me tell you what the answer to those questions appear to be.

You are all working independently, many with Government funding, so you can be ambulances at the bottom of the cliff.

I have approached people in organisations that appear to be working for the same end as I am, asking if we could join forces. The "United we stand" approach. With our combined mana and numbers we would have something that Government would have to listen to.

But I have been rebuffed – the replies have included:
"I am working as a business"
"I don't want to spread myself too thin"
"I agree with what you're saying but we won't be saying anything".

And so nothing happens.

Through SST I am being contacted more and more by desperate grandparents and parents, whose stories of their treatment by CYF would make your hair stand on end. I am personally spreading myself so thin that I should be transparent. I am unable to get ANY response from the current appropriate MP's.

Yes, they should be able to leave the workload to their underlings – but it's just not happening. The buck stops with the MP with that Portfolio. They won't listen to me or respond, because I'm no-one.

And so: Children continue to die or be physically harmed at the hands of illicit drug users, because

• There's no Intervention in Drug Use at family request – Police wait until 'another' crime has been committed, and that often involves injury to innocent people (including children);
• Police allow Drug Users to be bailed to houses where children live, and
• CYF continues to leave children in the care of Drug users because "Drugs aren't part of their Plan."

What is it going to take to get action? The death of an MP's child?

We already have a horrific roll call of dead kids – and once again in December 16 month-old Riley Osborne died at the hands (or was it the boot) of his mother's partner, who was bailed on methamphetamine charges dating back to October.

The Police failed Riley by not ascertaining that his alleged murderer was not living with a child while on bail. But I have evidence of another Case which shows that even if CYF were alerted to drug use in a Caregiver, they would not have moved him or the child.

It appears that the Agencies who receive funding only exist to mop up after the fact.

Where are the Agencies to stop the damage in the first place? It's certainly not CYF – their aim is to prevent the Recurrence of harm. The kid has to be hurt first.

I am committed to continuing to work to protect our vulnerable children and grandchildren, using my own personal resources. No funding.

What are you prepared to do to stop it happening in the first place?

We should all be joining ranks and demanding a change of culture within Police and CYF.

I'm up for it. Are you? Or would that put you out of a job?

You can contact me through SST Contact by Area of Interest page. I look forward to your call / email.

Regards,

Christine Davey
Sensible Sentencing Spokesperson on Drug Issues,
mobile 027 6376166
email christine.davey@paradise.net.nz