WHAT OUR CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM SHOULD BE DOING

Source: Dr Emily Keddel

Reorienting Oranga Tamariki towards prevention, rather than reaction to harm, is a step in the right direction. But there is still a long way to go in addressing the organisation’s fragmentation, argues Emily Keddell.

Emily asks us to consider ‘Is a child protection agency more like a police force, or more like a support service? Is it targeted, and if so, at whom? Is it a way for iwi, Māori and communities to care for their own, or is it state surveillance of family life?’

Thought provoking read: What our child protection system should be doing