CYF admits failures over toddler’s death to family

Radio NZ News 27 February 2017
Family First Comment: “A secret recording of these admissions, made in a meeting with the 17-month-old’s extended family, has been given to RNZ by the family. Child Youth and Family told RNZ that publicising the recording would “impede our ability to do our job of keeping children and young people safe”. The agency is worried if RNZ broadcasts any part of the recording, it will undermine public trust in CYF and make it more difficult to have free and frank discussions. The family on the father’s side says just the opposite – that the public need to know just how badly wrong the agency got this case, so that it’s forced to change.”
Exactly!
A Child Youth and Family manager admits the agency failed multiple times when it sent a Southland toddler back into a P-using household where he died.
A secret recording of these admissions, made in a meeting with the 17-month-old’s extended family, has been given to RNZ by the family.
Child Youth and Family told RNZ that publicising the recording would “impede our ability to do our job of keeping children and young people safe”.
The agency is worried if RNZ broadcasts any part of the recording, it will undermine public trust in CYF and make it more difficult to have free and frank discussions.
The family on the father’s side says just the opposite – that the public need to know just how badly wrong the agency got this case, so that it’s forced to change.
The family praised the CYF manager who did the internal review for having the guts to front up to them – but in the end say the recording of their two-hour meeting with her and a colleague last September showed an agency failing in the most basic way.
“We felt that CYFs were paying lip service to our family,” said the toddler’s aunt, the sister to his father.
READ MORE: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/325390/cyf-admits-failures-over-toddler’s-death-to-family