Failure to help at-risk teens blamed on 'transition'

Liam Ashley was 17 when he was fatally attacked in a security van. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

Hundreds of at-risk teenagers are falling off the books of the Child Youth and Family Service each year when they turn 17 and are forced to fend for themselves.

Ray Smith, deputy chief executive of CYFS, said no system was perfect. He acknowledged processes were still evolving but said there would always be cases where the service could have done more. Mr Smith's comments follow criticism of the agency by Auckland caregiver Earl Opetaia, who said not enough resources were available to help children cope in their transition from care to living independently as an adult.

Mr Opetaia, a caregiver to Liam Ashley, the 17-year-old who was beaten to death on August 24, said that funding and support was too quickly cut off for troubled teens.

His comments were backed up by an Auckland family care and foster association spokeswoman yesterday, who said many caregivers would agree with Mr Opetaia.

At age 17, CYFS legally loses custody of teens and its role with those children ceases.

Ongoing support is only provided if a sentence of supervision with a residence order is handed down, or if CYFS seek "guardianship" of children beyond the age of 17.

"That's where there is no-one else that can assist family-wise," Mr Smith said.

But change was promised.

The merger between Work and Income and CYFS would present "big opportunities' to help better manage transitions, he said.

"One of the things that I think everybody recognises is that there is a growing need to provide more services to support these young people in this transition time."

He did not know how many children fell off the agency's books each year when they turned 17.

"I can tell you that there are 1700 16- or 17 year-olds receiving an independent youth benefit, and there are a number of those that have come from Child, Youth and Family care."

There was plenty of budgeting advice, drug and alcohol counselling, mental health assistance, employment and training services, state-funded financial support and accommodation services, Mr Smith said.

"But there is more hand-holding required as we pass kids from one system to another.

"The systems do exist to support people, but they [youth] need mentoring," he said.

"They need guidance, they need someone to pick up the pieces when things don't go right."

That is where "transition from care to independence programmes" could help.

A pilot project involving 160 youth had been run in Auckland since 2003.

The programme provided ongoing support to teens as they came off the CYFS books.

The programme was run in conjunction with the Youth Horizons Trust (catering to Maori and youth with 'severe conduct disorder') and the Dingwall Trust (catering to the general population of young people leaving care).

"Contracting in the non-government organisations for those kind of services is good as well because it's the next step in moving away from having a statutory based organisation involved in your life," Mr Smith said.

The aims were to ensure that the youths had suitable housing, an income, improved life skills such as budgeting, and that they developed social contact with friends and family.

It was hoped the programme could be expanded on a national basis.

"It is a priority for us," Mr Smith said.

Funding was an issue, but fewer than 1000 youths needed such support.

Once an evaluation of the pilot was complete in April next year funding considerations would be addressed.