Tolley Anne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Tolley Anne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:640;Page:10248] 
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 not why not? 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF)) 
: 
 Yes I do; because it delivers its difficult statutory role in both care and protection and youth justice matters in a hard-working and conscientious manner. 
Anne Tolley 
: Does the Minister stand by her statement in this House yesterday that last weekend’s incident when two 14-year-olds escaped from a closely supervised Child Youth and Family camp to go on a crime rampage across the Bay of Plenty culminating in the attempted shooting of a police officer “does not in my view lead to the assumption that there is some systemic failure in the youth justice system”? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: Yes. 
Anne Tolley 
: How can the Minister say there is no systemic failure in youth justice at Child Youth and Family when in March the Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft condemned Child Youth and Family for its handling of a young offender calling its treatment of a 16-year-old boy who committed serious crimes while supposedly being monitored by a social worker he had never met as “grossly unacceptable” and saying that nothing had changed at the coalface? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I agree that breaching court-imposed conditions is grossly unacceptable behaviour on the part of any youth justice employees. But I do not agree with the conclusion that the member has leaped to—which was also leaped to by another member yesterday—that there is systemic failure in the youth justice system. 
Sue Moroney 
: What significant pieces of work is Child Youth and Family engaged in that contribute to the well-being of New Zealand children? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: A great deal of work is under way. There is too much to list it all here but it includes helping to raise awareness in the community of caring for our children and preventing abuse; implementing the differential response model to ensure that all families receive the right support from the right agency; responding to increasing numbers of notifications faster and completing investigations in a timely way; increasing the workforce training and capacity of youth justice services; and increasing the number of social workers—in particular the number of registered social workers. I might add in conclusion that the percentage of social workers with a level 6 or higher qualification has increased from 45 percent in 2001 to 76 percent today. 
Anne Tolley 
: How can the Minister say there is no systemic failure in youth justice at Child Youth and Family when in April Mataroa Barton a dangerous sex offender in Napier was so badly supervised by Child Youth and Family that he was able to escape from his 24-hour-a-day minders at least eight times to jump over a fence and peer into his neighbour’s windows; and when just last weekend the media revealed that a P-addicted 16-year-old had his escaping charge thrown out by the Youth Court after the judge said that Child Youth and Family had done nothing to ensure that the boy was effectively detained? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I agree that in the case of the Napier youth justice offender which has been discussed on many occasions in this House that was not acceptable. I said that both to this House and to the chief executive of the department. To leap to a conclusion that there are systemic failures is just shallow and the member should acknowledge that. 
Anne Tolley 
: What is being done to address the serious concerns of Judge Becroft and other youth justice professionals that Child Youth and Family is doing an appalling job of managing young offenders; and why should we trust this Minister when 7 years ago this Government promised to do better but after producing report after review after report to quote Judge Becroft nothing has changed at the coalface? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I would be very happy to produce again for the member the department’s implementation of the youth justice strategy. I would also be happy to table in the House letters of commendation from Judge Becroft about the performance of the department in the youth justice area. The member should get a little more up to date. 
Anne Tolley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I asked the Minister in the House yesterday whether she would publicly release a report from the Wairaka Kokiri Trust which was subject to a review. The Minister said in her answer that she would make it public. Could I ask that that report be tabled in the House today? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. That is a matter the member can take up with the Minister.