Concern for vulnerable children after dramatic drop in reports to Oranga Tamariki

Oranga Tamariki have seen a forty per cent drop in reports from the same period last year.

There are concerns for our most vulnerable young Kiwis as figures show a dramatic drop in the number of reports of concern made to Oranga Tamariki during lockdown, as well as the number of children taken into care.

Oranga Tamariki says during the first three weeks of lockdown it received around 3000 reports of concern, a 40 per cent drop on the same time period last year.

There was also a significant drop in the number of children taken into care. Figures obtained by 1 News show 51 children were taken into care during the first three weeks of lockdown, a 65 per cent drop on last year, when 143 children were taken into care during the same time period.

Oranga Tamariki says the drop in reports of concern follows a similar pattern to what they see during school holidays. Services for Children and Families Deputy Chief Executive Alison McDonald also says there's no link between the drop in reports of concern and the number of children taken into care.

"We always have ups and downs so we really can never compare figures," she said.

"What's important is in this period we did a lot of work before going into lockdown to make sure we reviewed all our safety plans, to make sure family had support they needed, in some cases moving children to be with grandparents or whanau to make sure they're in the best bubble for them."

But Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft says it's worth investigating a potential link between the drop in the number of children taken into care, and the drop in reports, many of which come from education providers.

"Kids aren't at school, they're not seeing teachers, they're not seeing health professionals. There's a lack of independent eyes on children, we can't see what's going on and there's a curtain drawn across families. I suspect the rate of abuse and neglect is much higher."

Police figures show that the number of reported family harm incidents spiked in the first week of lockdown, but has since stabilised.

There was an average of nearly 500 family harm incidents reported every day in the first week of lockdown, in the last week that number has dropped to just over 400.

But police warn those numbers don't necessarily reflect our true family violence figures, as victims may avoid calling for help while they are confined to their homes.

New Zealand Principals' Foundation President Perry Rush says he's concerned about the number of abused and neglected children who might be going unnoticed because they haven't been at school.

Although parents are being encouraged to keep their children at home if possible, he says he's spoken to several teachers and principals who are keeping in touch with at-risk families, and encouraging them to send their kids back to school.

"I know there have been a substantive number of schools that have been very proactive in picking up the telephone and putting in a call to young people and their families to check in with them but also to explicitly invite them down to school, to ask them to return knowing that having that safety valve of being at school is really important at this time."

For children who have been taken into care, Oranga Tamariki says it's provided 120 smartphones to caregivers, and is working towards providing up to 50 devices such as iPads to families, plus further laptops to children.

That's so children can stay in touch with their families, and with social workers like Kaysha Whakarau, who says she's in touch with some of the children she works with every day.

"It's definitely tough not having that face to face contact when you're used to having that but what we're trying to do is still maintain contact whether that's over the phone or having Skype time with their parents"

"We can still provide those sorts of accesses, ultimately we've all had to make sacrifices and this time is no exception to that, but I think we're working the best way we can to enable those relationships to still thrive."

She thinks the added challenges of Covid-19 have been tough on kids, but most are coping well.

"I think some kids are feeling quite anxious about it but when you talk to them, I think the children of New Zealand are quiet resilient and they've been able to go through this with us so just having that communication with them is usually enough."

If you're concerned about the wellbeing of a child, Oranga Tamariki advises that you call them on 0508 FAMILY, or call 111 for immediate concerns

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