”My priority is the safety and well-being of the young people involved in these allegations.”
Te Kani said Oranga Tamariki is also carrying out its own internal investigations.
“It’s an absolute breach of trust. I am incredibly upset about this happening inside Oranga Tamariki.”
Concerns about the two individuals were brought up separately and raised by staff.
Te Kani was limited on the details he could give around the alleged offending, given the active investigations under way. The alleged offending happened in separate youth justice and care protection facilities.
Te Kani said he was not prepared to wait for the outcome of any investigation.
While these are currently individual and isolated incidents, one is one too many, he said.
”I am not prepared to compromise on the welfare of our tamariki. Children and young people in our care must be cared for. Young people in our facilities must be safe,” Te Kani said.
Jane Searle, the chief executive of charitable trust Child Matters said the alleged behaviour would inflict lifelong trauma on already vulnerable young people.
“There are many layers of how this will affect them and affect their lives,” Searle said.
“It’s always hugely concerning when we have allegations of this nature. We’ve got to remember that the young people, the residents, are very vulnerable and they’re in high-risk environments.”
She said staff recruitment, induction and training, along with ongoing monitoring of the young people in care needed to be more robust.
Searle praised Oranga Tamariki for taking the allegations seriously and was happy they were being investigated and noted the agency had said it would provide wrap-around support for the young people.
“They will need very specialist care and support,” she said.
University of Auckland senior lecturer Ian Hyslop, an expert in social work, said the allegations Oranga Tamariki staff had “inappropriate sexual behaviour” at a youth justice residence is deeply saddening.
“There is a sorry history of historic abuse in residential care that was often hidden because of the unequal power relationships between staff and residents,” Hyslop said.
He said false allegations were “generally very rare” but said a careful police-led inquiry was appropriate and staff were entitled to due process.
“Young people [in residences] are vulnerable as they can have had abusive histories [so] it is saddening to hear of these current allegations.”
The alleged offending occurred within the last year, but officials are still working out the exact details and facts.
Former Police Commissioner Mike Bush has been brought into Oranga Tamariki to run all Youth Justice and Care and Protection residences and to lead a rapid review across all the residences including Oranga Tamariki community-based homes. From Friday, Bush will take on the leadership of all Youth Justice and Care and Protection residences.
Te Kani said the young people affected have all been contacted and social workers will continue to work alongside them and their whanau.
“All of the young people have got all of the support they need around them.”
At this stage about five young people are affected.
Bush will be assisted by Shannon Pakura, former Chief Social Worker, and a member of the Government Ministerial Advisory Board to the Minister for Children. The review will be completed within two months and the findings will be made public.
Bush’s investigation will start on Friday, with the priority to ensure that all the tamariki, all the young people in the residence, kaimahi, all of the staff are safe - and that the community is safe.
He plans to first do an in-depth and independent review to understand if there were further or underlying issues. He said the review will focus on whether the facilities are safe and fit for purpose.
Bush said he will speak to those young people affected, all staff, stakeholders, partners, and iwi.
Te Kani said he has confidence in his senior leadership team.
“I’ve got every confidence in the leadership team but having Mr Bush here with his experience and independent view coming into Oranga Tamariki at this time is really important.”
Te Kani wouldn’t answer a question about whether the two staff members stood down had been vetted by police, saying that would be part of the investigation.
He said: “The actions of these two members who are no longer part of the organisation has really impacted on the mahi that we do.”
