Rich Katherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Rich Katherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:613;Page:9926] 
5.  
KATHERINE RICH (National) 
 to the  
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF) 
: What specific concerns if any did she or her officials have concerning the administration or management of the Masterton office of Child Youth and Family Services and how have these been addressed? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
 on behalf of the 
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF) 
: The chief social worker’s report finds that rather than management issues in this particular case the departmental policies and procedures were not followed by the social worker and supervisor concerned. However as I noted earlier we have had a highly experienced supervisor as well as additional social work resources in the Masterton office for some time. 
Katherine Rich 
: When the Commissioner for Children’s report says that the Masterton roopu team had a caseload 36 percent higher than that of the non-Maori team managed cases of greater complexity and had a key leadership position eliminated does she support the department’s dismissal of the commissioner’s recommendation to ‘Review the effectiveness of Roopu teams and the resourcing training and professional support of these teams.”; if so why? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As I mentioned earlier in answer to another question one of the jobs now for all departments will be to take both these reports in the light of their both now being released and to judge how we can build on the improvements of the last 4 years. It may be that that particular recommendation will need to be considered. 
Moana Mackey 
: What support has the Masterton office received during the time of this Government? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: We have taken a number of steps to support the Masterton office over recent years including on-site management; providing additional support and practice advice from the chief social worker’s advisory team; additional social work resources including a full-time practice manager; strengthening collaboration with other agencies; contracting an additional position of social worker in schools in Masterton; and working closely with community partners on initiatives to address family violence such as the community campaigns initiated by the local mayor Bob Francis and the local MP Georgina Beyer. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: Is his best defence to those damning reports on Labour’s child welfare service and the human tragedies they describe simply to assert that there would have been even more tragedies if he had not been the Minister for the last 4 years? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Our best defence of course is to say that this is a tragedy that we have been rebuilding this department for the last 4 years and that we will continue to build this department until we get it right. We take full responsibility for things when we are the Government and that is our best defence. 
Katherine Rich 
: Can the Minister explain to the House why the roopu team in the Masterton office had a caseload 36 percent higher than that of the non-Maori team? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: No I do not have the details of why caseloads were higher at that particular time for the Maori team versus the general team. But what I can say to the House is that caseloads vary across the country and they vary because of the circumstances of different offices. We would need to inquire specifically as to why that was the case here. 
Deborah Coddington 
: Can the Minister look any woman in the eye in New Zealand and say he trusts the Department of Child Youth and Family Services to look after any children let alone children at risk; if not why does he not take accountability for the department? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Accountability is an interesting issue and the Associate Minister I am sure takes responsibility for her department. But can I just say to the House that the Department of Child Youth and Family Services like the health services like the police and like all services that deal with the very difficult situations in our society will have occasions when cases arise that all of us deplore but the department answers 27000 notifications every year. Those social workers do a fantastic job and they have my 110 percent support in doing that job. 
Katherine Rich 
: When the Commissioner for Children states in her report that the roopu team did have 36 percent more cases than the other team in the office and the department says in its report: “There is no reason to believe that Roopu teams are resourced and supported in any way different from non-Roopu teams.” who is correct? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: What the Associate Minister would say I am sure is that we have received these two reports today that particular issue clearly is one of concern and it will be explored. 
Katherine Rich 
: What is the point of having separate services for Maori if they are going to be under-resourced and over-lumbered with caseloads higher than those of general teams? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Of course there would be no point in putting resources into Maori social work services if they were over-worked and under-resourced. We are a Government that of course has lifted the baseline by 50 percent in this department. We have increased the number of social workers. We have put new practices in place right across this country. One of them is to ensure that we do have Maori social workers who can work with Maori clients. That is our commitment and we will get it right unlike the previous Government.