The appointment has been widely praised, with Becroft regarded as an inspiration in his approach to the care and protection of the young, and for his mature and restorative work in youth justice.
Minister Tolley has always had a particular interest in children in care, even when handling the education and corrections portfolios, so she, too, seems the right person to lead the overhaul of CYF.
Many who have dealt with this organisation have considered it unresponsive, uncaring, obstructive and incompetent. But I tend to think that it is really a service that is swamped by the workload it has to handle, and by the complexities and difficulties of the dysfunctional families it has to deal with. When a child in care has suffered harm, it has been easy to point the finger at social workers - our collective guilt requires someone to blame - but we should look at the issues a little more deeply.
The revamp of CYF will see more money come the way of child protection though, disappointingly, it seems to be money culled from other departments. The question is: Will it be enough?
New Zealand has a fairly horrendous record of abused, injured and killed kids who have come from broken families, so we must wish the best for Tolley, Becroft and others. They have a chance to make a difference.
