Three quarters of harm in state care happens to Māori children: Oranga Tamariki report

Tuesday, 23 July 2019

More than three quarters of the children harmed over the three months to March in state care were Māori.

Over the three-month period more than 100 children in state care, though some were living with their parents, were harmed sexually, physically, or emotionally, an Oranga Tamariki report found. 

​Oranga Tamariki's Safety of Children in Care Unit was established last year to better report on 'non-accidental harm' caused to children in care. 

The latest quarterly report found 16 cases of neglect, 19 of sexual harm, 54 children that suffered 'non-accidental' physical injury, and 33 children that suffered emotional harm.

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Several children suffered more than one type of harm, with 154 cases documented overall.

As part of the report a snapshot of children in care was taken at the end of March. It found there were 6400 children and young people in state care and protection custody and 170 young people in youth justice custody of Oranga Tamariki's chief executive. 

In the first report of recorded data, from July to September 2018, 130 children and young people in care had findings of harm. In the second quarter, from October to December 2018, 97 children and young people in care had findings of harm.

Oranga Tamariki deputy chief executive voices of children Hoani Lambert told RNZ's Morning Report that it was too early to determine any significant trends in the figures from the first three quarters, and there haven't been any major changes to the number of children experiencing harm.

Lambert said the collection and public reporting of this data was vital.

'The conversations surrounding this are not easy ones to have, but the more people who engage in issues about child safety and wellbeing, the more likely it is that change will happen.'

The report highlighted that different children experience different types of harm, Lambert said.

In every single case, Oranga Tamariki assessed how to proceed and whether to involve another agency, such as police. Where there were ongoing safety concerns, the child or young person had been removed from the home.