The Green Paper for Vulnerable Children - Ministry of Social ...

As much as is fiscally practical. It would also depend on the degree of vulnerability andthe degree of the assessed risk in the care situation. (general public)Intervention or intensive monitoring should occur earlier rather than later. (general public)Universal monitoring: A small minority of submissions suggested monitoring of all children.Submissions in support of universal monitoring argued:• universal monitoring is most important in the preschool years and for children who are notidentified as vulnerable and it could be reduced as they age• a child’s level of vulnerability may change over time, so universal monitoring would ensurechildren who are becoming vulnerable are identified early.Monitoring should be close for first six months then reduce on review and assessmentif appropriate, and intensify if needed for crises or as planned for times when risks areanticipated to be higher. (general public)Household dynamics and circumstances change over time and children’s vulnerability mayincrease as these changes occur. The only way this can be truly assessed is by continuingin-home visiting. (general public)Minimal monitoring to ensure child safety: The idea that monitoring should be conductedat a minimum level to ensure child safety was suggested in a small minority of submissions.Submissions that supported minimal monitoring suggested:• monitoring should be reserved for those most at risk• the risks associated with monitoring need to be weighed against the benefits.Monitoring is simply a way of managing down the risks faced by vulnerable children –and is necessary at some level. (NGO)Minimising the negative consequences of monitoringHelping families in the context of service delivery: A small minority of free-form submissionsstated a preference for the idea of helping families in the context of service delivery rather than“monitoring”. Other organisations were most likely to state their support for helping within thecontext of service delivery, followed by NGOs, frontline workers, community meetings and thenthe general public. Submissions suggested:• monitoring should be part of universally available services such as Plunket and GPs• currently monitoring is seen as punitive by many people, which discourages participation.Any future monitoring should be conducted in a supportive way designed to encouragehelp-seeking behaviour• data sharing should be more frequent among social agencies. This would decrease thequantity of contact between agencies and families and decrease the monitoring burdenon families.We favour increasing support, early intervention and education measures vs increasingsurveillance and compliance measures; as in our experience, this enables collaborationand partnerships that lead to families making changes and choices that protect theirchildren. (frontline worker)Practice Changes Policy Changes Show Leadership Share Responsibility Children / Young People Executive SummaryThe Green Paper for Vulnerable Children Full Summary of Submissions143