1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Shout up. Now, Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's much 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: improvement in how we care for our most vulnerable kids. 3 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: The number of kids abused while in state care has 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,160 Speaker 1: increased in the last year, with five hundred and thirty 5 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: experiencing harm. That is twenty three more than last year. 6 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 1: Aaron Jones is the Independent Children's Monitor and with us Hello, Aaron, Yeah, However, 7 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 1: now is this right that most of this is happening 8 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 1: when these kids are going back to their parents, Not. 9 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 2: Most of it, but there's overrepresented, so it's a real 10 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 2: risk area. And Ordongo Tamariki have called this out as 11 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 2: far back as twenty nineteen. For kids that are returning 12 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 2: home but they're still in state care, they're disproportionately getting harmed. 13 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: What does that mean? What does disproportionately mean? 14 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 2: Well, because the number of kids that are returning home 15 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 2: is small, but the amount of harm that's been is great, 16 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 2: So you're more likely to get harmed if you're in 17 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 2: one of those situations. And I think what's really important 18 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 2: to understand is those kids that are returning home, about 19 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 2: half of them are returning home in an unplanned so 20 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 2: they're going back to homes when family members aren't necessarily ready. 21 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: Or are we doing this parent? 22 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 2: Well, that's the question you need to ask, what a 23 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 2: ton of time? 24 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,119 Speaker 1: I mean, if we know that there's a really high 25 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 1: rate of these kids getting hurt when they're back with 26 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: their with their loser parents, why don't we keep them 27 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: away from their parents? 28 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 2: Well that's that is one option. The other option is 29 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 2: making sure that if this is the only alternative for 30 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 2: this young person and they want to be home with 31 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 2: their parents, is making sure you've got the supports in 32 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 2: place for them. So we produced a report in twenty 33 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 2: twenty three that called this out and you know, you've 34 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 2: got voices of parents. They're saying, I just wasn't ready 35 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:38,559 Speaker 2: for my young person to come home. I've got drug 36 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 2: and alcohol issues. I haven't addressed those yet. I've got 37 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 2: mental health issues I haven't been able to address, so 38 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 2: I'm not ready to have them home. And so what 39 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 2: it's saying is if they're going to return, you've got 40 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 2: to make sure the supports are there for both them 41 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 2: and their family members. 42 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: Are we talking about social worker visits. 43 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 2: That's one of them. So one of the things we 44 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 2: noted back then was actually social workers were less likely 45 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 2: to visit those kids that return home in an unexpected 46 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 2: way than those that have gone home in a planned way. 47 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 2: Why that's again a question you'd have to ask, a. 48 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: Really obvious thing. We can fix. 49 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 2: It's yeah, it does. And I think one of the 50 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 2: heartening things. I'll give you some good news here here 51 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 2: there is I think ordering a tamariki. In the last 52 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 2: six months have have responded to that and are actively 53 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 2: driving and improvement and practice to make sure that social 54 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 2: workers are visiting those young people to make sure that 55 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 2: they're safe. So if that can be sustained and you 56 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 2: can get the other agencies wrapped around in terms of 57 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 2: mental health support and everything else that's needed, we might 58 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 2: see a reduction in that harm. 59 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: Oh pleased to hear that, Aaron, Thanks so much, mate, 60 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: Aaron Jones, Independent Children's Monitor. For more from Heather Duplessy, 61 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: Alan Drive, listen live to news talks they'd be from 62 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.