Families Commission releases "Safety of subsequent children" literature reviews

Improved inter-agency information sharing and staying connected to vulnerable families for the long term, are two of the key strategies identified in Families Commission studies that looked at the issue of subsequent children in families where previous children have been removed because of abuse.

The two studies, Safety of Subsequent Children International Literature Review – Anne Kerslake Hendricks and Katie Stevens, Families Commission, and Safety of Subsequent Children: Māori children and whānau - a review of selected literature – Fiona Cram, Katoa Ltd,were a response to a request from Hon Paula Bennett, Minister for Social Development, who asked the Commission to tell her what could be done “to prevent additional children coming into these families and being put at risk while the parents are still addressing their complex issues”.

Chief Commissioner, Carl Davidson says the issue is critical because of all the children placed in CYF's out-of-home care, nearly half had a sibling who had previously been removed by CYF.

The Commission found there was not a lot of research about what could be done to prevent subsequent children coming into vulnerable families. However, it combined what research there was with knowledge gained through consultation with a wide range of expert practitioners to make a number of suggestions about what principles of practice are promising. Improved information sharing between agencies, improved reporting processes, consideration of mandatory reporting, complementary interventions rather than single focus programmes, culturally appropriate services, and long-term more intensive follow-up were identified as key ingredients of any system to reduce child abuse within families and whānau. Read the full Families Commission media release.

Read Safety of Subsequent Children International Literature Review

Read Subsequent Children: Māori children and whānau - a review of selected literature

There is further discussion of the issues raised in these two reports in the NZ Herald.

Read Māori child abuse linked to poverty and discrimination (NZ Herald, 26/1/2012)