much maligned, deservedly or not?
The service has not got much credit for the good outcomes for many of the children brought to its attention. There must have been many successes but the overall impression has been that the agency can't get a thing right. Maybe it just goes with the territory.
Very quickly the narrative is changing. Now we hear the agency has a shocking record of removing Māori babies from their mothers and not exploring ways and means of helping the mothers keep their babies, or allowing the wider whānau to provide the necessary care.
We hear this is due to a racism embedded in the processes and systems used to assess the risk to the children and decisions about what action should be taken. Even if some parents are lacking, it's said Māori-led agencies should be given the responsibility and funding to ensure Māori babies born into difficult and unsafe homes can stay within the whānau and hapū.
Link to article: Oranga Tamariki - much maligned, deservedly or not? | Stuff.co.nz
