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Eliminating Child Poverty- Labour’s Health Plan

Posted by Grant Robertson on November 21st, 2011

Tomorrow night on TV3 there is a documentary about child poverty in New Zealand. I think every New Zealander should see it. It is a very real depiction of how life is for some of our most vulnerable families. The issues raised about child health and well being are ones we all have to take some responsibility for. Stuff has some preview of the content this morning.

More than 100 New Zealand children who died last year would probably have survived had they lived in Japan, Sweden or the Czech Republic, a new documentary shows….Last year, more than 25,000 children were admitted to hospital for respiratory infections. Doctors routinely treat cases of rheumatic fever and scabies – diseases now rare in Europe.

It is for these families that Labour has made eliminating child poverty our number one social policy priority. When it comes to avoidable hospital admissions (for issues like skin infections and respiratory illness) the National government has removed reducing them as a priority health target. This is wrong. They have increased by 5,000 between 2007 and 2010. The reason targeting these admissions is important is not only are they a proxy for how many children are in poverty, they are also an indication of lack of access to primary care as these infections should never get to hospital admission status.

Labour will restore the reduction of avoidable hospital admissions as a priority target. We will also make child health a priority by

  • enrolling all children with a Well Child provider before birth so that we have continuity of care for all babies
  • 24/7 free primary care for all under sixes (and we are funding this, unlike National)
  • enhanced B4School Checks and a mop up service at school for those who don’t get them
  • requiring District Health Boards to adopt child health implementation plans with nationally agreed measurable outcomes and targets that are monitored by the Ministry of Health.
  • developing systems during pregnancy to identify children who are vulnerable, and then ensure that the relevant levels of support are in place to support and optimise parenting.
  • strengthening the Health in Schools Programme, including social workers, starting with low decile schools, with the aim of expanding the programme to higher decile schools as resources allow.
  • 10 year plan to improve access and affordability of dental care, starting with a package of free dental services for pregnant women.

And the rest of the Childrens Policy agenda that we have released. You can find all the details here.

This is an issue that it is already past time to take decisive action. National do not seem prepared to do it, Labour is.

Filed under: #ownourfuture, children, health
14 Comments

The cost of doing nothing

Posted by Grant Robertson on November 8th, 2011

Labour’s Childrens policy is, in my humble and unbiased opinion, an example of the kind of policy proposal that parties should make at election time. Setting a clear goal, and outlining a path to get there. Improving the well-being of our children is a moral and ethical issue more than a policy one as Annette King has said, but we still need a clear pathway to get there. We have provided that. Its rolled out over a period of time because that is the responsible thing to do.

The predictable response from National is that it all costs too much. Well my question is, what is the cost of doing nothing? Earlier this year Every Child Counts estimated that child poverty costs New Zealand $6 billion annually. This includes costs for treating preventable diseases. Hospital admissions for these have grown by 5,000 over the last three years. It includes the costs of managing anti-social behaviour, increased crime, and the loss to the economy of individuals failing to reach their full potential. We can see all of this in our communities every day.

Labour’s plan is focused around a number of key commitments
- lifting the incomes of the most vulnerable families to give their kids a fair go
- making access to primary healthcare more affordable, with 24/7 free care for under sixes
- extending paid parental leave to give parents more time at home with their babies
- restoring funding to ECE to ensure quality and access

To me these are the building blocks of the best possible start in life for all children. Labour has been responsible. We will reduce debt and get back into surplus at the same time as National, keeping our assets, but with some greater borrowing early in the next electoral cycle. That is because we have to invest in our children.

My other question for National is, if it is to expensive to do this, which children are they prepared to see left behind? I am not prepared to see that. As Annette said yesterday quoting Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel

We cannot waste our precious children
Not another one
Not another day
Its long past time for us to act on their behalf

Filed under: #ownourfuture, children, inequality
48 Comments

Free 24/7 healthcare for under-sixes + other stuff

Posted by Trevor Mallard on November 7th, 2011

Check out Labour’s policy for children here.

Filed under: children
15 Comments

Putting Kids First

Posted by Sue Moroney on September 17th, 2011

This week I had the privilege of announcing Labour’s plan to lift achievement in primary schools – or more accurately, years 1-8. We called it “Reaching for the Stars – Whakamaua Nga Whetu” and it spells out the way forward from the debacle that is National’s national standards.

Our policy ensures that parents get plain language information they require on their child’s achievement, progress and next learning steps without schools having the flawed national standards imposed on them. Labour will require schools to use recognised assessment tools and teacher judgement to assess children against the celebrated NZ Curriculum. Simple really – no major drama.

Meanwhile, the Government has resorted to having the Ministry write national standard targets for the non-compliant schools. So much for self-managing schools! As we speak, those school boards are now being threatened with the sack if they return those charters to the Ministry with the words “under duress” on them. This Government seems determined to go to war with the education sector, rather than work with them to get good outcomes. As Labour’s policy shows, its all so unnecessary.

It is telling that Mrs Tolley hasnt been able to work out how to attack our policy. She started off with ” the policy is written by the unions,” but then changed tack later on to say it was a “watered down version of national standards.” Of course, neither is true – but the contradiction in her statements demonstrates how Crosby Textor are struggling to find the attack line on our policy. Which all adds up to it being just more great policy from Labour.

I prefer for our educators and school boards to be focused on providing excellent education for our children, than going to war with the Ministry of Education. Labour’s policy lets them get on with the job, while making sure parents are kept in the loop too. After all, we know that our kids’ education thrives when parents and teachers work in partnership.

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Filed under: Teachers, children, education, students
52 Comments

There is more to health than a league table

Posted by Grant Robertson on August 29th, 2011

The conventional wisdom is that Tony Ryall is making a good fist of the Health portfolio. Now that I am up close in the area I can say that he keeps a tight rein on matters health, and is managing the portfolio effectively. But there is a big difference between managing the politics of health and actually doing what is right for the long term health outcomes of New Zealanders.

The best evidence of that is the release today of the Child Health Monitor Report. It shows, among other things, that in the last two years there have been an additional 5 000 avoidable hospital admissions for things like respiratory illness and skin infections. The authors of the report note that the cost of going to the doctor, especially after hours is a factor in whether children are getting the healthcare they need, along with a range factors associated with child poverty.

I am not saying all of this is down to the Health policy of the current government. But the focus on the narrow range of health targets set by the Minister means that child health is not the priority it should be. The Minister has narrowed the health targets in such a way as to scratch the itches of waiting lists and time spent in ED, but it is at the expense of early intervention and public health programmes. District Health Boards have responded by pursuing the Minister’s targets, spending on public health has been slashed ($124 million in the last Budget) and funding for primary care has failed to keep up with inflation.

Just managing the Health portfolio is not enough. I actually think it is irresponsible to avoid the long term investments that will lead to long term health benefits in favour of things that are designed to fit on a coloured chart and make the Minister look good.

Labour, through Annette King, has already outlined our Agenda for Children that will put children’s well being at the centre of our social policy. More details will be announced in the election, but from a health policy point of view public health and affordable and accessible primary care must be a priority.

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Filed under: children, health, inequality
24 Comments

Another Key con: or pretending to do something when you really aren’t

Posted by A Guest Poster on August 28th, 2011

Lesley Soper is the Labour candidate for Invercargill

Read with fascination the Southland Times Report (Aug 15, p.2) on John Key’s  great National Party Conference announcement of the start of welfare system overhaul.   16 & 17 year-olds first it seems.      They won’t complain too much, and rednecks will think they deserve a bit of ‘nanny state’ overseeing.    Food Stamps don’t equal opportunity or jobs BUT IT WILL LOOK AS IF WE ARE DOING SOMETHING, WHICH WILL HELP DISGUISE OUR UTTER FAILURE TO DO ANYTHING TO DEAL WITH THE WORSE NZ YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION.

Food Stamps can also be the thin edge of the wedge, & extended to others when we ‘have a Mandate’.

Under this new Policy schools will have to tell authorities when 16 and 17 year-olds leave during the year, and the young people  will be attached to a “responsible adult”.

Quotes from the PM included :  “the first problem that has to be addressed is finding out who the disengaged young people are … we simply don’t know, because we lose track of them when they leave school. … that has to change … and for the first time we will be able to find out who they are, what their circumstances are, what problems they had …”.

But Wait!   The photographic memory clicks in from my years as an MP.   This has to be nonsense.    Didn’t I make more than one visit to a great Youth Transition Service ‘Work’n it Out’ which operates a Call Centre and extended services from Invercargill  [readers will know from my earlier blog on proposed IRD cuts in Invercargill that we run excellent ‘virtual’ operations down here];  and operates under an MSD Contract?     Yes, I did, and it still exists.     Been operating for more than 5 years.     Reports performance and outcomes to MSD every month.   You can look it up online at www.wio.co.nz.   The Social Development Minister & PM could read the reports.   They probably have, but perhaps have ‘forgotten’.

What does this service do?   [and what has it been doing for more than 5 years?]   Well, strangely enough it has been working with 50 Secondary Schools from Timaru South to track every school-leaver at any point through the year, from  ages 16-20.  There are also some self or family referrals, and referrals from other govt departments, but by & large this is a major project to track and assist school-leavers with the rest of their lives.   And it has been working incredibly well!

We are not talking small numbers here.   This is thousands of young people added to the database every year.    They are systematically contacted by the callcentre; they are asked about their plans for further education, training or employment.   They are offered support and assistance, often on a one-to-one customised support basis.  They are tracked from that first call or contact on a regular basis till age 20.     Few of them are non-contactable; very few reject the contact.

Report Data is comprehensive.    We know who these young people are; where they have come from; where they have gone or are going; which industries they are working in; how many are in which other forms of education and training courses; how many return to school; how many head into apprenticeships, full-or-part-time work.

So if this is all already happening, on a large scale, covering quarter of the country geographically [& there are other Youth Transition Services too], and in areas where there are National MP’s [including English, Roy &  Dean], and data exists;  why the announcement of a  ‘First Ever New Policy’;  ‘Never Before Tried’ ; ‘Revolutionary First’ as a  ‘Key Plank’ of the National Party Conference?

Could it be that some Political Spin was required to distract from the failure of the National Government to actually address Youth Unemployment and to create jobs?   Could it be a ‘Key Con’ to pretend to be doing something to distract from actual cuts National has made to apprenticeships and skills training?   Could it be a ‘Big Vision’ like ‘The Cycleway’ or the Budget ‘promise’ of 170,000 jobs  -  with absolutely no substance?    Could it be sheer ignorance of what is already in place?    Or could it be that no-one in Auckland pays any attention to successful initiatives in  Invercargill unless they involve Shadbolt or snow?     Take your pick.

Another ‘Key Con’ when what is really needed is a real economic plan that means young people get real jobs.   Remember the statistic  -  when National came in there were roughly 200 under 24 year-olds who had been on UEB for more than a year.   The number now?

Filed under: Unemployment, children, inequality, youth
93 Comments

The essentials

Posted by Clare Curran on August 1st, 2011

I’ve spent a good part of today thinking about how important quality of life is vs the material things.

I went (with Pete Hodgson and David Clark) to visit the Mosgiel Abilities Resource Centre, in Dunedin, and it reminded me what’s most important about life.

The quality of the interactions. The opportunities you have. The enduring friendships you build. And the memories you are left with.

Whether it’s your old dad, disabled family members, the people around us who are struggling.

And then there’s our kids.

All parents want their kids to experience life to the full & have good values. More than they want them to have the latest stuff.

Why can’t we adults translate those hopes for our kids into the way we lead our lives?

And why, as Annette has asked today, can’t we all work together on some of these things?

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Filed under: children
5 Comments

CYF frontline cuts widen

Posted by A Guest Poster on July 27th, 2011
 
Dr David Clark is the Labour candidate for Dunedin North
 
 I have received further detail of significant cuts to Child, Youth and Family services across Otago and Southland.

The information corroborates my original sources and confirms that cuts are occurring to child care and protection services in more South Island communities than previously thought.

New sources tell me that in Dunedin one frontline supervisor position has been halved and two social worker positions have been cut, plus one family group conference co-ordinator, one administrator and one social work resource assistant position.

That is a total of five and half positions in Dunedin alone delivering or supporting frontline services in our region.

In Otago, two social worker positions and one supervisor position have been cut affecting services in Oamaru, Alexandra, Gore and Balclutha. In Invercargill, at least two social workers and one supervisor position have been cut.

These are reductions in essential services. Services that provide the opportunity for a young person to turn their life around, for a family in distress to get the support they need, for a child in harm’s way to get the care and protection they deserve.

These cuts clearly indicate that frontline social work in Otago and Southland is being hollowed out while National repeatedly claims to be improving public services and moving resources to the frontline.

Is the Minister for Social Development aware that, contrary to the Government’s stated commitment to putting more workers on the frontline, the reverse is happening, that frontline staff are being cut at Child, Youth and Family?

Is the Minister aware that Child, Youth and Family’s head office is claiming: ‘There are no staffing cuts to the organisation. No cuts are being made. No staff member is losing their job’*?

In light of the new detail on reductions in Otago and Southland services, I have lodged a further Official Information Request to get past the smokescreen from head office to the truth of the situation – that deep cuts are being made to already stretched services in the South.

I would be the first to congratulate the Minister if the staffing cuts reflected a significant reduction in the number of children and families needing protection and support. Regrettably, that would be a naive assumption.

Child, Youth and Family is that vital line between hope and despair, between giving a child refuge from neglect and abuse and turning our back on the plight of the defenceless. 

 * Source: CYF manager of public affairs Bernadine MacKenzie, quoted in Otago Daily Times on 21 July 2011.

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Filed under: children, jobs, public services
11 Comments

Dunedin cuts – CYF spindoctors stretch truth

Posted by A Guest Poster on July 26th, 2011

Dr David Clark is the Labour candidate for Dunedin North

My previous posts about the cuts to frontline child protection services in Dunedin have attracted a response.  Unfortunately the response is clearly the work of CYF’s spindoctors.

I am saddened to see CYF dodge questions regarding front line job-cuts in Dunedin.  The CYF spokesperson describes Otago and Southland as having “more social workers per caseload” than other areas, and talks about deciding whether vacated positions will be filled – according to workload in the region.

This is classic doublespeak.  As positions are vacated in Otago and Southland, they are not being replaced; a straight shooter would call this job-cuts.  Frontline positions are being axed. Vulnerable children are at risk.

Tragically, need for CYF services is in high demand.  Our stagnant economy has put increased pressure on Dunedin families.  Can CYF confirm they have as many front line staff in Dunedin now as they had a year ago?  Or better still, provide credible evidence that our most vulnerable children are no longer at risk?  Of course they can’t.  This makes me angry.  Under National’s direction, CYF are spending money on spindoctors.  That money should be spent on staff at the coal-face.

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Filed under: children, jobs, public services
7 Comments

Cuts make lie of National’s promise not to cut front line services.

Posted by A Guest Poster on July 20th, 2011

Apologies to David Clark, labour’s candidate for Dunedin North. I accidently posted this under my name not his. Clare

Cuts of up to 30 front line staff at Child, Youth and Family make a lie of National’s promise not to cut front line services.

Our community, our children deserve better. We cannot stand by and let these cuts occur.

In April, Bill English said National was ‘committed to moving resources from the back office to the frontline so we can deliver improved public services to taxpayers with little or no new money over the next few years’. *

Questions:

  • How is reducing the number of frontline social workers in Dunedin “moving resources to the frontline”?
  • How is making highly trained social workers redundant who support and protect our most vulnerable children going to “deliver improved public services to taxpayers”?

The Government needs to honour its promise to retain front line services. All New Zealanders should demand that the Government reverse this appalling decision.

* [Source: Minister of Finance press release, “Room for savings in state sector back office” dated 13 April 2011]

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Filed under: children, jobs, public services
3 Comments

Children at risk as Government axes frontline CYF staff

Posted by A Guest Poster on July 20th, 2011

David Clark is the Labour candidate for Dunedin North

National is about to axe front line staff at Child, Youth and Family. Up to 30 front line jobs are to be cut from Child, Youth and Family services nationwide.

Dunedin is losing four of those positions, two frontline social workers and two front line supervisors. Cuts are also being made to Child, Youth and Family in Invercargill and on the West Coast.

Child, Youth and Family do remarkable work on behalf of the whole community to prevent child abuse and neglect, and to give families the support they need to care for their children. They provide safe, loving homes for children who need that care and they work with young people to turn their lives around.

The timing of these cuts could not be worse, as the cost of living and unemployment increases. There is growing pressure on families. These cuts are an abdication of our collective responsibility to care and protect our most vulnerable citizens, to help those who cannot speak for themselves.

The Government must reverse this appalling decision.

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Filed under: children, jobs, public services
1 Comment

Sir Michael Marmot- Health Equity

Posted by Grant Robertson on July 13th, 2011

Today I am attending a symposium organised by the NZMA on health inequities to coincide with the visit of Sir Michael Marmot from the UK. I have blogged before about the influence of Sir Michael on the excellent NZMA statement on health equity.

Its occasions like this that highlight just how ridiculous are the assertions of Maori privilege made by Don Brash. Just a couple of examples have been highlighted by Tony Blakely from Otago University and Don Simmers and Norman Sharpe from the NZMA.

- despite improvements in the first decade of this century Maori life expectancy is 7-8 years short of non-Maori.
- mortaility rates for Maori in middle age are 2-3 tomes higher than non-Maori including all causes such as heart disease.
- Maori babies are 5 times more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome than non-Maori
- diabetes rates, suicide rates and infectious disease rates and mortality are all higher for Maori than non-Maori

Health inequities are certainly relate to economic depravation,and it was a good achievement that income inequality in New Zealand did reduce slightly in the 2000s under Labour, but there is much more to do. It is also clear that there is an ethnic component above and beyond that. Addressing this is not privileging a group, it is in fact correcting a systemic disadvantage. Doing so, with early intervention, will benefit us all in promoting social inclusion and reducing the cost of expensive health interventions at a later stage.

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Filed under: M?ori, children, health, inequality
4 Comments

Childrens Health Camp Stamps

Posted by Grant Robertson on July 7th, 2011

20110706-ChildrensHealthStamps-Takehe-GrantRobertson-001 (2)

Yesterday I got the job of launching the 2011 Childrens Health Stamps, up at Zealandia (otherwise known as Karori Sanctuary). The reason for doing the launch at Zealandia, apart from being a great place to visit is that this year’s stamps show flightless native birds, including the takahe. Earlier this year Zealandia began the proud home for two takahe, one of them pictured in the photo above, along with some children from the Otaki Health Camp, staff, representatives from NZ Post and me.

The release of Childrens Health Stamps is the result of an 82 year partnership between New Zealand Post and its predecessors and Te Puni Whaiora Childrens Health Camps. We were told yesterday that it is the longest running corporate/charity partnership in New Zealand. Essentially 10c from every stamp goes to the Childrens Health Camps.

It was great to meet the kids from the Otaki Children’s Health camp who came to the launch yesterday. The work that Childrens Health Camps do has changed a bit over the years. The focus is now more on mental health and well-being a bit more than physical health issues. Nowadays most of the kids come to one of the seven camps around New Zealand for a period of weeks on referral from their schools to help them find some stability and confidence. Staff from the camps work with both the children and their families to try to establish the basis for on-going positive development for what are some pretty vulnerable children.

I visited the Rotorua camp earlier in the year and was really impressed with the approach they are taking, working across different agencies and trying to address the causes of the issues that have brought the children to the camp. It was inspiring, as were the kids who were at the launch yesterday.

So, if you get the chance, buy some of the stamps and support their work. There is an order form in the link above.

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Filed under: children, health
2 Comments

Mr Key and the Child Labour question

Posted by Darien Fenton on July 6th, 2011

On Sunday’s Q and A programme, a prickly Indian Minister cut short a question from Guyon Espiner about child labour in India, saying “it was insulting to India.”

When asked about it, John Key responded by saying that “an FTA was not the forum to address child labour issues.  That must be done through the International Labour Organisation and New Zealand had raised the issues there”

No they haven’t.  At least not since National has been in government.  And Mr Key clearly hasn’t looked that closely at New Zealand’s own question of child labour. While we can’t compare our child labour issues with developing countries, we do have children at work, many exploited and who have few rights.

The classic are the leaflet deliverers. Some are paid around 25 cents an hour.  They are employed as independent contractors, so they have no right to join a union, have to pay their own ACC and tax, don’t get sick leave and holiday pay.

Labour helpfully has a bill that Mr Key could adopt, if he really cares about child labour.  It’s called the Employment Relations (Protection of Young Workers) Amendment Bill.  The Bill provides that all workers aged 15 and under must be employed on employment agreements under the Employment Relations Act 2000 (and its amendments) and have all rights, including the right to join a union, bargain collectively and the rights to personal grievance currently provided to employees under the Act.   No such worker can be employed as an independent or dependent contractor.

It’s not such an unusual thing to do.  Homeworkers, under New Zealand law are considered employees under the Employment Relations Act, regardless of whether they are engaged, employed or contracted.  This is because they are considered (and have been proven to be) vulnerable to exploitation if they are employed as contractors.

So, John Key he could do something about New Zealand’s child workers if he really cared.

Or will he wait until that’s raised at the ILO as well?

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Filed under: Workers, children, workers rights, youth
16 Comments

20 Hours ECE looking shaky

Posted by Sue Moroney on June 9th, 2011

Last week the early childhood education taskforce appointed by Minister Anne Tolley proposed a funding model that unravels Labour’s 20 hours free ECE.
Today in Parliament, Anne Tolley said her Government did not have a policy for 20 hours free ECE – despite promising to keep the policy, its fee controls and subsidies at the last election.
Joining the dots, it doesn’t look to good for access to affordable, quality ECE.
The ECE Taskforce maintains its not ditching 20 hours ECE, but that is just semantics. The fundamental planks of that policy are that it pays for the delivery of the ECE curriculum, Te Wharirki, for 20 hours; it is universally available to all families and providers can only charge optional fees for those 20 hours for extras like lunch, sun-screen etc.
The taskforce recommend that it only part-fund the curriculum for 20 hours, is funded at lower rates to most families and that the fee controls be removed. That is not the 20 hours ECE policy, whatever name they give to it.
Taskforce Chair Michael Mintrom has researched and written extensively on the subject of how to make unpalatable policies acceptable in the field of education and so the taskforce report says all the right things about ECE, but then proposes a funding model that doesnt deliver to that vision.
In defence of the taskforce members, its not their fault. I think they have done the best job they could with bad instructions from the Minister. The terms of reference were basically this – tell the Government how to add more children to the early childhood education sector, without increasing the cost.
One of the Taskforce members, Emeritus Professor Anne Smith, issued a minority report opposing the proposed funding model on the grounds that “it is likely that the level of subsidy would decline markedly for parents currently receiving 20 hours of subsidy a week.”
This Government’s refusal to reverse its unaffordable tax cuts in order to increase investment in ECE put the ECE Taskforce in an untenable situation.
However, that pales in comparison with the untenable situation National will put families in if fees go up even more than they already have for early childhood education.

Filed under: children, education
10 Comments

The pathway to success

Posted by A Guest Poster on June 2nd, 2011

Dr David Clark is the Labour Candidate for Dunedin North. He has worked in shops, in a factory, as a Presbyterian Minister, as a University Tutor and as an analyst at the New Zealand Treasury. He currently runs a University Hall of Residence.

The pathway to success has just been narrowed.

Yesterday, the Government’s Early Childhood Education taskforce released its report entitled An Agenda for Amazing Children.

The opening pages lay the case for investment in the sector out clearly.   Proper funding for early childhood care and education will determine New Zealand’s success or failure as a society and as an economy.

That our society subsequently flourishes (or withers) – according to our commitment to the early years – is not news.  I’ve previously outlined the case for quality early childhood education in the Otago Daily Times. Academics in the field have communicated the case clearly and directly.  We know the sector needs to be supported to deliver us the future we want for our country.

Trouble is, the terms of reference for the taskforce excluded the possibility of properly funding the sector.  In this respect, the group was set up to fail.  They were told to work within the constraints of a budget already strangled by $400million in cuts earlier this year.

The essay within the report proposing new funding mechanisms aligns with the current Government’s privatisation agenda. Centres will set fees according to parents’ perceived ‘ability to pay’. Universal availability is gone. Providers will no longer be required to provide 20 hours free quality early childhood education.

The proposed new funding model, and associated justifications, are captured in the extracted table below:

ece

Although the full detail is not fully explained, it appears that providers will be responsible for deciding just which child qualifies for which subsidy.  Different rates will apply according to parents’ income, ethnicity and other variables. Where parents’ income is tested, it’s easy to imagine funding anomalies that parallel those connected to university student allowances.

Centre managers may be responsible for making judgments about socio-economic need of parents and children.  What was once a welcoming relationship appears set to become something more judgmental.  Under this scenario, centre managers will become gatekeepers on the pathway to success.

One manager of centre I spoke to this morning said: “So people will ring to enquire about fees at a centre, and I’ll be expected to say: well it depends whether you’re Maori, European, disabled or other.  No thanks!”

The Labour Government’s model provided access to 20 hours free quality early childhood education for all citizens.  What is clear with the new model is that this money will be spread far more thinly, and parents will be expected to pay far more.  If under twos are included and more hours are to be subsidised, the subsidy will not stretch as far.  Barriers to accessing education and care for our children will grow.  The pathway to success has been narrowed.

There’s a model linked to the taskforce’s website which shows the panel have given some thought as to the costs for families. But functionality seems to have been removed, and I can’t get it to run any numbers.  I hope someone will put in an OIA for the functional model to see which scenarios have been run.

The report correctly identifies that investment in quality early childhood education is one of the best a country can make.  I agree.  I think we can do better

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Filed under: children, education
6 Comments

Gifted Awareness Week: A time for questions

Posted by Sue Moroney on June 1st, 2011

In this Government’s constant attempts to paint a crisis in our world-class education system they only ever want to talk about under-achievement.

Gifted Awareness Week (June 13-19) gives us a chance to reflect on the huge diversity of students in our education system.

Gifted students are not always the ones doing fabulously well. They may be the student with behavioural problems, the student who has trouble relating to their peers or the student who is disrupting the class.

Last week I visited the Correspondence School and was told that many gifted students use that service because the school environment doesn’t meet their needs.

It caused me to think about National’s national standards and how much harm the “one size fits all” approach does, not only to those students who are labelled failures but also those who need different challenges than most of their peers.

If a school’s worth is to be judged on how many students they get “over the bar” then not only will the under-achievers lose out, but so will those capable of very high-achievement.

Under that scenario it would be “human nature” for schools to direct their biggest effort into those who are just failing to reach the standard to get them “over the bar” and this could come at the expense of the others.

I would appreciate some feedback from those who have some experience with gifted children – either as family or in a professional capacity. What do you think?

Filed under: Uncategorized, children, education, family
99 Comments

Coddington has a point

Posted by Trevor Mallard on May 29th, 2011

Deborah Coddington is an ex Act MP. I gave her a pretty hard time during her one term but she is, unlike many MPs, pleasant and we have enjoyed several very interesting conversations over the years.

She is a very black and white person. Doesn’t do subtle well. She has some very strong views on child abuse. Sometimes overstated, but as is often the case, there is a kernel of truth that needs real consideration.

Her column this week says :-

Well, in the worst-case scenarios, these babies should be taken away from their cruel families. As Harvey said, some newborns just shouldn’t be allowed to go home.

I’ve dealt with two sad cases in recent years where very young children have been removed not only from their mothers but from the wider family. These decisions were resented by the families but appeared to be properly made in the interests of the children.

There have also been several cases go through my office where grandparents and other close family members have had real trouble being in the middle of CYFs v mothers battles.

Of course it is best if family members look after babies if mothers can’t cope or protect them. But that is not always the case.

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Filed under: children
20 Comments

The Day

Posted by Clare Curran on May 26th, 2011

A few weeks ago Moby joined with MoveOn.org by starring in and lending his new single “The Day”  to a video that protests attacks on America’s most needy. Moby was protesting against budget cuts that could disproportionately hurt the most vulnerable in America.

For those of you who know who Moby is, this is pretty strong. If you don’t already follow MoveOn.org then you should

Is this what we face?

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Filed under: Cost of Living, children, poverty
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Tackling inequality

Posted by A Guest Poster on May 17th, 2011

OECD inequality

In recent decades, inequalities in New Zealand have grown faster than in most other OECD countries.  This trend was halted under the last Labour Government, but other governments have more than made up for it.

Rising inequality is bad for a country that prides itself on its egalitarianism. 

Large wealth disparities are bad for nearly everyone.  High levels of inequality in society have been linked to higher chances of poor health outcomes, poor education outcomes and anti-social behaviour. These things have both social and economic costs for a country.

Last month I posted for Red Alert on why inequality is bad.   But how does one go about tackling inequality?

Increasing GST, and taking the income to give the biggest tax-cuts to the wealthiest people is clearly not the answer.  National’s tax ‘switch’ has hurt those at the bottom, and squeezed those in the middle, who are now worse off than they were before. Inequalities are even worse now than the graph above suggests.

The OECD held a forum on tackling inequality at the start of this month. The background paper is instructive.

Aside from asking if who you marry matters, the report also asks what policy-makers can do about the problem of inequality.  Answers focus in the area of skills training and education, particularly where they are available for disadvantaged groups.  Looks like National’s cuts to education in the early childhood (ECE) and adult and community (ACE) area aren’t the right answer either.

Labour has promised to reverse the ECE and ACE cuts.  We’ve also said we’d make the first $5000 of earnings tax free.  And we’ll raise the minimum wage to $15. All of these things are useful first steps in tackling inequality.

In line with the OECD view, an economy that provides skills, jobs and opportunity for all New Zealanders has both social and economic benefits.

Hat-tip Jeremy Warner at The Telegraph. 

Dr David Clark is the Labour Candidate for Dunedin North. He has worked in shops, in a factory, as a Presbyterian Minister, as a University Tutor and as an analyst at the New Zealand Treasury. He currently runs a University Hall of Residence. 

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Filed under: Cost of Living, Skills, children, education, inequality, jobs
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