Tolley Anne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Tolley Anne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:638;Page:8187] 
10.  
ANNE TOLLEY (National—East Coast) 
 to the  
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF) 
: Does she have confidence in Child Youth and Family Services; if so why? 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF)) 
: 
 Yes but there is always room for improvement. 
Anne Tolley 
: What does it say about your management— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. That member is the senior whip for the Opposition and she should know not to address questions to you. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Yes that is true. The whip did actually use the term “you”; I am sure that was an oversight. I would however remind members that if they just asked their question instead of making statements we would not have these difficulties. Would the member just ask the question please. 
Anne Tolley 
: What does it say about the management of Child Youth and Family when even the Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft is slamming Child Youth and Family for ignoring its responsibilities in youth justice and for breaching all statutory requirements in the case of a young offender calling that “woeful and concerning”? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: In the case in question I am advised that this was one example—out of over 250 cases per month that are seen by the Youth Court—where the standards expected and in fact required by the department were not met. The social worker in question did not meet the expected performance standards. Both the social worker and his supervisor will have their future performances specifically monitored. 
Lynne Pillay 
: What are the key pieces of work that Child Youth and Family is engaged in that contribute to the well-being of New Zealand children? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: A great deal of good work is under way—too much to list here. It includes helping to raise awareness in the community about caring for our children and preventing abuse and neglect implementing the differential model in order to ensure families receive the right support from the right agency in a timely way responding to increased notifications faster and completing investigations in a timely way increasing the number of social workers—in particular the number of registered social workers—and increasing workforce training in and the capacity of the youth justice services. 
Anne Tolley 
: Why is that almost 12 months after the damning youth justice capability review was released youth offenders are still without social workers and social workers are still handing in late deficient and grossly unacceptable reports to the judiciary; and what are you doing about it? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I just remind the member to please address the Minister and not the Chair. 
Anne Tolley 
: Why is that almost 12 months after the damning youth justice capability review was released youth offenders are still without social workers and social workers are still handing in late deficient and grossly unacceptable reports to the judiciary; and what is the Minister doing about it? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: The member has made the same mistake in her question as she did in her question last week when she made an accusation about Child Youth and Family as if it was a fact and on investigation it turned out to be completely wrong. In her last question the member implied that social workers up and down the country are doing this. I advised her in my answer to the primary question that this is a one-off example. The social worker did not meet the expected performance standards; this is not indicative of a systemic failure. The member would be better off if she supported the good and very difficult work that competent social workers do rather than using a one-off example to fail the whole department. 
Anne Tolley 
: Is it not true that nothing has changed in the last 7 years of this Government and that on the Minister’s watch young criminals are being left to grow up into more experienced and more violent criminals? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: No that is not true at all. What is true is that nothing has changed in the member’s constant undermining of social workers in our country. 
Judy Turner 
: Is the Minister concerned about a possible increase in complaints about her department from parents who may feel that the department is misusing its statutory power if the current proposed amendment of section 59 of the Crimes Act is successful; if so does the Minister see an intensified need to have in place an independent complaints authority for Child Youth and Family? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: It is critical even in a time of increasing notifications that the department is resourced to be able to deal with those notifications in an appropriate way—particularly in a timely way. The facts that we now have fewer than 800 unallocated cases and no urgent or critical cases are an indication of the department’s ability to respond to notifications. With regard to the latter part of the member’s question as the House is aware I am looking at an improved complaints procedure so that we can have better public confidence in the operation of Child Youth and Family. 
Anne Tolley 
: What is being done to address the serious concerns of Judge Becroft; and why should we believe the promises when 7 years ago this Government promised to do better but has dismally failed yet again? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: As I attempted to explain to the member in my answers to the primary question and previous supplementary questions one case out of over 250 cases per month is not an indication of a systemic failure. 
Anne Tolley 
: I seek leave to table the oral judgment of Judge Becroft dated 8 February 2007 in which he says he has no confidence that anything has changed at the coalface in Child Youth and Family. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Anne Tolley 
: I seek leave to table the youth justice capability review released in February 2006 which details “a lack of skills and inconsistent practice across the country”. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes there is objection. 
Anne Tolley 
: I seek leave to table the  
First Principles Baseline Review 
 from September 2003 which states: “No one has clear accountability for youth justice.” 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Anne Tolley 
: I seek leave to table a news story from Television New Zealand entitled “Major changes needed at CYF” from November 2003. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Anne Tolley 
: I seek leave to table the report of the Ministerial Task Force on Youth Offending from April 2002 which states that youth justice is underfunded and under-resourced. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Anne Tolley 
: I seek leave to table the Youth Offending Strategy from 2002 which states that it is clear that current practice needs to improve. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.