Aotearoa’s Child Protection System changed dramatically in 2019 as a result of public
and professional outcry over the controversial uplift of a tamaiti Māori into the custody of
the State. Subsequent reviews of the system resulted in a shift in practice from
managing the care and protection of children within the statutory care system to placing
the responsibility for providing care for vulnerable children on extended whānau. Consequently, more and more whānau are being asked to take on what would have
once been the responsibility of a well-resourced government department.

The short-term outcome of this has reduced the number of children in care and has
connected more children to their whānau/ whakapapa. However, whānau
caregivers often arrive at the conversation about them providing care with their own
grief and trauma regarding the breakdown in their whānau, worries and concerns for the
future, and limited understanding of the systems that are oppressing them.

The long-term impact is whānau who are not coping with meeting the care needs of
their often traumatised tamariki. In 2024 I began working with Woven Whānau, a Whanganui Non-Government Agency that supports Grandparents Raising their Mokopuna. With Woven Whānau, I am facilitating community workshops to hear from whānau caregivers what would have made their journey towards becoming whānau caregivers more kind. The first of these workshops will be held in Whanganui on 07 November 2024 and in Feilding on 06 March 2025.I am also running a survey for caregivers who are unable to attend the workshop. Please follow this link to participate: Whānau Caregiver Survey