Early intervention and support for parents is the key to ensuring our children's wellbeing, according to a Whanganui District Health Board submission to the Green Paper on Vulnerable Children.
Lauren Tamehana, health promoter for the WDHB, prepared the submission to the Green Paper, the document that preceded the White Paper.
The Green Paper was widely consulted on throughout New Zealand and submissions fed into the White Paper, which was released yesterday.
In her submission, Ms Tamehana said most adults wanted to be good parents, but in some cases they had a "compromised capacity" to do so.
She said early intervention was essential and more "cost-effective".
"A parent given advice about how to positively speak to their child and gain co-operation is an easy intervention that can drastically change a family's lives," she said.
Ms Tamehana's submission noted that a child's wellbeing did not depend solely on being free from abuse or neglect, but also included living in a smoke-free environment, being given appropriate sex education, and having their universal rights recognised.
She also noted the high rates of suicide in Wanganui and of vulnerable children leaving school without formal qualifications.
Ms Tamehana said the Smoke-free Environments Act should be amended to include banning smoking in cars and provide more help for pregnant women. "Effective assistance to support pregnant women to be smoke-free is required as the most vulnerable time for a child being exposed to tobacco smoke is intra uterine. Evidence points to many chronic diseases being influenced by maternal behaviour and wellbeing," she said.
Ms Tamehana said Child Youth and Family should be resourced to a greater level.
"We would like to see CYFs resourced to the capacity that they can address the collective concerns from health, education and social professionals involved.
"We often find, as health professionals, that we have identified significant concerns about a child and family but if specific probing questions are not asked by the CYFs social worker and the family presents well at one interview the case is often closed and the neglect continues," she said.
The DHB was yesterday unable to provide a response to the White Paper.
