Heatley Phil: Vulnerable Children Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHeatley Phil: Vulnerable Children Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 17 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13397. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei): I too rise and congratulate the Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett on bringing the Vulnerable Children Bill to the House and of course on the considerable amount of work that has gone on behind the scenes but also publicly in putting this together. There is nothing like talking to and hearing from those on the front line both in Government departments and those who work in the NGO sector and also privately. I know too that the Minister has spent a lot of time talking to families who have been on the receiving end of tragic news and also families who want to help out particularly those who want to adopt or take children into their homes at a level perhaps below adoption but caring for them just as intensely and proactively.This bill is part of a series of measures that the National Government is putting together to provide wraparound care for those in this country who are not cared for. Too many New Zealand children are abused and put in difficult stressful and physically harmful circumstances. I would like to take the time to repeat some statistics that have been put about publicly. First of all more than 50 children have died in the last 5 years because of extreme abuse. You cannot get more extreme than death. Because of abuse a child under 2 is hospitalised every 5 days—an extraordinary statistic. Every year Child Youth and Family substantiates 22000 cases of physical sexual or emotional abuse and neglect. Those are not just reported cases; they are substantiated cases. That is something that clearly this House has given a lot of thought to given the fact that there is considerable cross-party support for this piece of legislation.In terms of the main provisions of the bill I think the one that is highlighted for me is requiring chief executives from across Government departments and agencies to work together to put together a plan that addresses the whole issue of vulnerable children and children who could be exposed to abuse. But not just putting together a plan; those chief executives are held to account on exactly how that plan is progressing and what results they are getting. That is so important so that changes can be made—tweaks—or if required they can stop doing something and replace it with something else more successful. The bill will require the ministries of social development education health and justice and the police to have policies in place as a ministry across the country to ensure that child abuse is reported is identified and is acted upon.I find that particularly interesting because to some it might seem like a Wellington approach with chief executives settled here in Wellington and ministries based here in Wellington but in fact this will affect those front-line staff out in the regions. Although we have this bill underpinning the Children’s Action Plan at a ministerial level at a chief executive level and a ministry level the reality is that we have examples in Rotorua at the moment and in Whangarei where in the regions staff on the front line are working together—the front line for TePuniKōkiri for the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment for district health boards for the police for education departments and of course for the local courts. We are seeing in Rotorua and Whangarei a coming together of minds and strategies in making sure that information is shared and that child abuse is brought to a head is reported and is acted on.I gladly commend this piece of legislation to the House. I support it and look forward to the select committee process where we can hear from those on the front line and can add to it and make it even better. May I congratulate the Minister.