Oranga Tamariki has confirmed a young person spent more than 600 days living in a motel before suitable accommodation could be found. Photo / 123rf
A young person in state care lived in a motel for more than 600 days until suitable accommodation could be found.
The Herald can reveal that other young people spent more than 100 and 200 nights living in motels across the country as it was considered the “best option” for them with no suitable alternatives.
The figures around motel placements for young Kiwis in care were released by Oranga Tamariki under the Official Information Act.
It revealed that while “most motel placements” were one to three nights until suitable whanau or non-kin housing can be found, “on occasion” placements are sought for longer periods.
“As at 10 October 2022 there are 14 tamariki who have spent more than 100 nights in a motel,” said OT deputy chief executive Rachel Leota.
“Of these, seven have spent more than 200 nights in a motel.
“The highest number of nights in a motel as at 10 October 2022 was 549.
“A decision that a child or young person will be cared for in a motel is made only as a last resort, and only if it is the best option for te tamaiti at the time … Tamariki of any age can be cared for in motels for a period if this is the best option for them at the time.”
OT confirmed that the totals were consecutive - however “respite or transition stays, such as one night away, do not ‘restart’ the clock”.
It also confirmed that the young person who spent the most time in a motel was placed there on March 31 2021 and “transitioned successfully to new care arrangements” on January 11 this year - boosting their total stay to 651 days.
“There are numerous reasons why tamariki need to enter motel accommodation, however, the most common reason is the breakdown of their usual care arrangement, most often linked to challenging behaviour,” Leota told the Herald.
“Other factors include unplanned entries to care when police utilise their powers under the Oranga Tamariki Act to place tamariki in the custody of the chief executive; mental health and disability concerns and Covid restrictions meaning that it has not been possible to place tamariki with caregivers immediately.”
OT would not give the age of the youngest motel occupants or exact details on their daily routine and monitoring including the set up for overnight supervision.
“All the situations are on a case-by-case basis depending on their age and needs,” said Alison Cronin, general manager of regional services.
“When a young person is in a motel for an extended period of time, we seek to ensure they receive as much stability as possible - this includes continuity of carers who provide care for young people, support them with their routines which can include education; activities; contact with family.
“Some young people enjoy and are able to take part in cooking, tidying and some cleaning. This will always be supported by the carers who are with the young people.”
A source said the immediate carers - for example, social workers - took care of basic needs like food provision and laundry.
Depending on the young person a range of options could be used to supervise them including security guards outside motel rooms for the highest-risk cases.
OT defended the practice of housing young people in motels - despite criticism over the years.
In 2019 then-Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft demanded OT stop using motel rooms, describing them as “virtually Airbnb for children”.
“The days of motel use are surely now widely understood to be unacceptable. So we need action and we need it now,” he told Newshub at the time.
Leota said motels were not preferred but were often the only option for children in care.
“Accommodation in motels is never a preferred care option,” she said.
“Oranga Tamariki are proactive in ensuring that tamariki do not remain in motels for longer than is necessary.
“Where it is not possible to limit the length of stay, we work hard to ensure that te tamaiti experience consistency of accommodation and staff and are able to access education and spend regular, quality time with whānau and people who are important to them.
“Motels are used as a last resort and only when due to constraints or other challenges, other suitable care options are not available in the immediate term.
“When we decide to temporally provide care for te tamaiti in a motel, it is only because it is the best option for te tamaiti at the time, and only following a careful exploration of possible alternatives.”
The OT figures provided to the Herald showed that in 2022 on average 29 young people were housed in a motel each month.
The majority of those were in the Canterbury region, followed by the lower South Island, the Te Tai Tokerau region in Northland and central Auckland.
The young people were monitored by various adults including whanau, approved caregivers, OT social workers, youth workers or resource workers, contracted resource workers, staff from a number of agencies including Geneva, Hapu Ora, Life Plus, Mana Services, Mindful Support, Navigators Collective, Reconnect, Senate and Te Korowai Roopu Tautoko.
In some cases, no caregiver was required as the young person was 17 and on a “transition pathway”.
Transition pathways were for young people readying to leave OT care, enabling them to “acquire the knowledge, skills, resources and supports they need to thrive”.
Leota said the agency “works hard to provide safe, stable, loving homes for tamariki in care” and “prioritise” finding “suitable care” within whānau, hapu or Iwi.
“When this is not possible in the immediate term, OT work to ensure tamariki are provided with the most suitable care that meets their needs and prioritise supporting and maintaining their whānau and cultural connections,” she told the Herald.
“When it is needed, non-kin care may be with caregivers, specialist care homes, or with care options provided by a range of community care providers Oranga Tamariki have partnerships with.”
OT could not provide details of the circumstances that led to young people being housed in motels, citing privacy.
However, they gave general examples of why “supported accommodation in a motel was deemed better” for young people than “any available alternative at the time.
“Tamariki may have behaviours that are extremely challenging to manage safely, and which pose a risk to themselves or others if living in a group setting,” she said.
“These behaviours can include absconding and placing themselves at serious risk of abuse or exploitation, damaging property, and/or violence towards caregivers and other tamariki.
“Challenging behaviours have resulted in damage to placements so extensive that it has rendered a location uninhabitable while repairs are carried out.
“Tamariki with such challenging behaviours sometimes need constant one-on-one support. In some cases, the only way to provide that while waiting for highly specialised care settings to become available is in a supported motel placement.”
Leota said some young people had specific needs in relation to mental health or disability which meant “only highly specialised and bespoke services or placements can meet their needs”.
In such cases, the demand for placements - both in health and child protection settings - was high and wait times could be long.
“For some tamariki, their needs can be better met in a supported one-on-one placement rather than a group or family setting, even if this means they need to live in a motel for a period of time,” Leota explained.
“High mental health or disability needs may co-exist with the challenging behaviours described above.”
In other cases it was better for tamariki to remain in a location to maintain whānau contact, a continuation of education or access to therapy and community supports - “even if this means they need to be in a supported motel setting”.
“In these cases, the benefits associated with maintaining continuity of school, friends, whānau and belonging are considered alongside the benefit of being placed in a more permanent care arrangement which may be some distance away, or even in another part of the country,” said Leota.
“There are also circumstances where tamariki are in a motel placement but cared for by their whanau, when no other accommodation option is available.”
Leota said in 2022 Covid restrictions were an “accentuating factor” and “sometimes hampered efforts” by OT to engage in meetings with family and potential caregivers face-to-face.
“Covid has also been a factor with tamariki in care testing positive and being unable to be placed with caregivers, and caregivers testing positive and therefore unable to offer a placement to tamariki,” she said.
“Despite these challenges, strenuous efforts are made and alternative options to motel accommodation are continually explored.”
Minister for Children Kelvin Davis said the situation was not ideal and he hoped for improved options for young people going forward.
“Placing a young person in a motel should be a last resort and only ever done when no other option is available - sadly, this is sometimes the case,” he told the Herald.
“I am told that the majority of young people who do spend time in motels do so for only a few nights before more suitable accommodation is found.
“There are a few complicated and challenging cases where a young person has been in a motel for a much longer period of time. While they are always supervised, no one wants to see this.”
Davis said the “reality” of the situation was that some young people were “incredibly challenging to manage” and required “bespoke one-on-one care, rather than a group home setting”.
“As we continue to transform Oranga Tamariki I envisage a future where community, iwi, hapū are far more involved from the start and more options for these cases begin to open up,” Davis said.
“Oranga Tamariki is also working with Māori to develop a new direction for its care and protection model, which I expect to provide improved care options for young people such as these.”
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