Faults flagged in $29m family project

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Government's biggest home visiting programme is under review after researchers found its US counterpart failed to reduce child abuse.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has called for an evaluationof the former Labour Government's flagship Family Start programme, which costs $29 million a year.

It follows the discovery by American researchers that Healthy Start in Hawaii - the model for the New Zealand version - did not prevent abuse, mainly because workers did not have enough training to recognise the danger signs and take action.

The researchers also found the strategy had shifted from home visitors identifying the key triggers of abuse - such as violence, drug and alcohol abuse and post-natal depression - to "strength-based" goal-setting by the families themselves.

One mother's goal, approved by the home visitor, was "to be happy".

A more limited evaluation of Family Start in New Zealand recorded similar concerns that some workers had not been sufficiently prepared.

The 2005 report for the Ministry of Social Development found only 40 per cent of staff surveyed had a recognised qualification and outside agencies believed they needed greater training, qualifications and supervision.

Ms Bennett could not say whether the local programme was working.

"I don't know and that's why we're reviewing it.

"When you're putting nearly $30 million of taxpayers' money in and you can't change the outcomes for our most vulnerable children, I think you'd better check," the minister said.

Professor Anne Duggan, who led the research into Healthy Start and is working as a visiting specialist in Auckland, said New Zealand's Family Start seemed to be "a wonderful resource for families" and she did not think it should be scrapped.

But a detailed evaluation would show whether services were being delivered as planned.

Professor Duggan said it was important to be clear about this as home visitors were often expected to take on too many conflicting tasks.

Health researcher David Fergusson, who launched a similar programme in Christchurch called Early Start - also part of the review - said the key was constant supervision.

"Every case worker in Early Start has their work reviewed every week by a supervisor, who goes through everything they're doing and asks them what they're going to do next week. Now that costs, but if you want quality, you have to pay for it."

The Commissioner for Children, Dr John Angus, agreed with the need for better staff training and suggested linking home-visiting programmes to local childcare centres, which could have more regular contact with the family.

He said it might be unrealistic to expect an occasional home visitor to deal with deep-seated parental problems such as drug addiction or mental health issues.

FAMILY START

* Cost: $29 million a year
* Created by Labour in 1998
* Goal: Providing home-based support for families with high needs and identifying key triggers before problems occur.
* Problem: Lack of training to recognise danger signs of child abuse.
* Researchers found that Healthy Start in Hawaii, on which Family Start was based, did not prevent abuse and merely allowed families to set their own targets.