A Western Bay mother's appalling neglect of her family reduced her 6-year-old son to eating cockroaches to survive.
This admission was made to Homes of Hope director Hilary Price.
The boy told how hungry he used to get before he and his siblings were removed from their mother by Child Youth and
Family (CYF) and put into the care of Homes of Hope.
One day they got so hungry they went to look for food and found cockroaches. He then described eating the cockroaches: "Yeah, they were crunchy and juicy."
Mrs Price did not doubt the boy was telling the truth because of his age and the manner in which he confided to her.
"I was appalled to hear that. There is no excuse when the person was receiving enough support to access the basics for her children."
She would not say where the mother and her four children had been living, as it could lead to their identification.
The family was last year taken into Homes of Hope - a cluster of three houses in Tauranga where up to 18 children are cared for in a "wrap-around" home environment.
The good news was that the children were now doing well. Most children stayed about a year although a few had stayed four to six years before they were put into permanent care. Homes of Hope specialised in keeping brothers and sisters together.
Mrs Price said children often arrived in poor health, underweight and even suffering malnutrition. Skin diseases were common.
Tauranga pediatrician David Jones was mindful of the exceptional success of Homes of Hope. He can track the progress of children from when they were first put into care.
"I just want to say, whatever you are doing, don't stop."
Homes of Hopehas had only one placement which had not worked out since the first group of children was taken in nearly eight years ago.
But the financial challenges, particularly given the recession and fiscal constraints, were formidable - $500,000 a year for its Tauranga work.
CYF paid between 40 and 50 per cent of costs, and the organisation depended on donations.
