Use sport to break vicious cycle, says agency

Western Heights Primary School in Rotorua displays signs encouraging good behaviour. Picture / Alan Gibson

Sports clubs in Rotorua are being urged to sponsor children who are missing out on sporting activities because they do not have a dad at home.

Mana Social Services director Maxine Rennie said the best time to break the cycle of inter-generational family violence was with children when they were young.

Children often become angry and aggressive after a traumatic event such as their parents' breakup or a parent's death.

"We see a lot of them that have no father, or a step-dad who doesn't engage well with them, which they exacerbate as teens by saying, 'He's not my dad, I don't have to listen to him'," shesaid.

Mrs Rennie works with everyone in the family, helping the step-dad to engage better with the children and helping the kids to realise that they are upsetting their mother by hurting her partner.

"They have to come to the decision that mum is not leaving him for them. If that's mum's choice, they have to accept that."

Mrs Rennie believes local sports clubs could help if they each kept two places free for fatherless children, waiving fees and providing a mentor to support them.

"Some of these kids don't have a male role model," she said.

Other suggestions for changing attitudes include the signs all over Rotorua's Western Heights Primary School urging children to "Be Safe", "Be Kind" and "Be Responsible".

"We have a no tolerance to violence policy," said principal Brent Griffin. "We refer to it every day."