KEY POINTS:
The Children's Commissioner is proposing mandatory screening of every baby's home life in a bid to halve New Zealand's high child murder rate.
Cindy Kiro wants every newborn baby's parents or caregivers to nominate an authorised provider to assess their family's progress through home visits.
Those who refused to take part would be referred to welfare authorities.
Dr Kiro told the Dominion Post the scheme would cost about $5 million a year. Professional assessments suggested it could save five children a year in the first five years.
She did not know of any similar schemes internationally. "We can lead the world in it."
Briefing papers for the plan are being written for presentation to the Government's task force for action on family violence, which launched a $14 million campaign this week to fight domestic violence.
The campaign is based on the findings of a 2005 report written by Auckland University researcher Janet Fanslow, who says home visitation is one of the only proven methods to reduce the child abuse rate.
Parenting programmes also worked, but to a lesser extent.
It is estimated about 98 per cent of New Zealand parents take up the existing offer of free child health support, such as that provided by Plunket.
Dr Kiro said this system was based on voluntary engagement and was "a recipe for disaster".
Under the proposal, those who refused the support would be referred to welfare authorities, ensuring vulnerable children were monitored when they left hospital.
The system is dependent on the establishment of a database tracking the development of every New Zealand child - a move which has been resisted by civil liberties groups.
Dr Kiro said progress on the database, demanded by children's commissioners since 1989, had been "immensely frustrating".
- NZPA
