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Weekly Media Roundup

February 24, 2017 at 10:15 AM

Boss of vulnerable children uber agency vows to halt New Zealand's roll call of shame

CYF obviously plays a huge part in government care and protection of vulnerable children but Moss says several other major levers affecting the outcomes for vulnerable children are changing at the same time: there's new underpinning legislation, a new independent child-advocacy group, Voyce Whakarongo Mai, has been created; as the ministry's chief executive Moss will become the single point of accountability for the entire system, including the input from other ministries – and "that's never ever happened before," says Moss.

Social worker shortage leaving children at risk, say lawyers

A shortage of Child Youth and Family (CYF) social workers and a lack of resources is leaving children at risk of abuse and neglect, say family lawyers.

It comes two years after an internal review recommended CYF review social workers' caseloads and look at increasing the number of front-line social workers.

The Big Read: Philip Kinraid jailed - daughter's death described as 'true horror'

Squirming and gasping for air, her face forced against a pillow by her father, Esme Claire Kinraid suffered a death described as "true horror".

Philip Murray Kinraid, 29, appeared at the High Court in New Plymouth today and was sentenced to four years and three months in prison.

Last November, the chemical engineer pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his two-year-old daughter at their Hawera home on June 26, 2015.

Grandmother: CYF failed to act over abuse 'red flags'

A grandmother who repeatedly raised concerns with Child Youth and Family about her granddaughter says the agency ignored some obvious red flags.

Dawn Bell, who lives in Auckland, is caring for her 17-year-old granddaughter, but is critical of CYF's failure to act when she raised concerns.

Faces of Innocents: Two names added to the Child Victim Toll

On Wednesday, Philip Kinraid was sent to prison for the death of his daughter, Esme. The two-year-old is one of 212 names recorded in Stuff's Child Victim Toll.

The Child Victim Toll draws from Stuff's Faces of Innocents project, which is the first and only known database of its kind in New Zealand.

Kuggeleijn rape trial: Jury finds cricketer not guilty

The jury in the rape trial of a cricket star deliberated for less than an hour before coming back with a not guilty verdict.

Northern Districts all-rounder Scott Christopher Kuggeleijn, 25, faced a single charge of raping a woman in May 2015.

Police investigating sexual violation of 14-year-old girl in Greymouth on the South Island's West Coast

A 14-year-old girl was sexually violated on a walking track in Greymouth last month, police say.

The January 16 incident was reported to police today and an investigation has begun.

Jury returns after deliberations in case of death of child

Tamehana Huata has just been found guilty of the manslaughter and injuring with intent to injure his two year old stepson Matiu Wereta at their home in Flaxmere in October 2015.

The jury verdict was returned at the High Court in Napier today after six hours of deliberations.

Emergency services were called to the home to find Matiu unconscious with numerous marks on his body and a serious head injury on the morning of October 12.

Real or invisible threat?

But why did I imagine the worst, and what are the real risks posed by living next door to a convicted sex offender?

Dr Gwenda Willis, clinical psychologist and senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, says our fears are largely unwarranted and often derive from a lack of understanding about rehabilitation programmes and treatment.

Tagging teenagers leave a positive mark on the walls of Ranui

The rattling and hissing of spray cans is not an unusual sound in Ranui.

It's the teenagers tagging the walls and the residents are used to it.

Graffiti is their way of "making a mark on the world" said local artist Edith Amituanai.

Youth art brings "bling" to Henderson

Bring on the bling.

West Auckland youth have brightened up empty shop windows in Henderson with artwork.

Art from Kakano Youth Arts Collective and the Humans of Hendo Community Photography Project are currently displayed in the windows of five shops along Great North Rd.

Time to speak up for vulnerable children, says Dunedin principal

Dunedin principal Heidi Hayward made headlines with her open letter to MPs imploring them to rethink social funding.

Last year the government announced new funding for “at risk” students ($92 per student, per year) which Ms Hayward compares with the cost of keeping an inmate in prison, $100,000 per person, per year. Heidi says that many students recognised as “at risk” throughout school end up in prison and the money would be better spent “at the top of the cliff than at the bottom”.

Police handling of sensitive crime data causes concern

Police have been accused of presenting crime statistics in a way which could unwittingly identify the individuals involved.

In November 2016 police took over the reporting of crime data from Statistics New Zealand.

But documents obtained under the Official Information Act show how concerned Statistics New Zealand officials were with the way police were handling the data.

Elizabeth Stanley: Reasons for vetoing inquiry into historic abuse don't stand up

OPINION: The Open Letter to Prime Minister Bill English, calling for an independent inquiry to deal with abuse of children under state care, has been steadfastly downplayed by the Government. 'E Kore Ano, Never Again!' is the rallying call from the Human Rights Commission and its supporters. 'Nah' came the reply.

Elizabeth Stanley tackles the Government's reasons for refusal.

Police 'default' mental health service as attempted suicide call outs jump 30 per cent

A 30 per cent jump in the number of attempted suicides handled by police is an indictment on New Zealand's mental health system, the police union says.

Police responded to just over 18,000 calls coded as "threatens/attempts suicide" across the country in 2015-16, up from 14,000 in 2012-13.

Almost every region experienced an increase in such call outs over the last four years, with Bay of Plenty jumping 44 per cent and Auckland rising 16 per cent.

Women in Marshall Islands more willing to seek protection orders

During the first six weeks of 2017, the Marshall Islands High Court has seen the most ever violence protection requests from women seeking safety from abusive partners.

Five cases have been filed so far this year, putting Majuro on track to set a record for domestic violence protection orders.