Advocates for children and youth in care are calling for mental health training for all Oranga Tamariki caregivers in the wake of the Auditor-General's report this week.
Warning - this story discusses suicide.
The report — Meeting the mental health needs of young New Zealanders — found children and young people in care were four times more likely than their peers to attempt suicide, and twice as likely to report symptoms of depression.
Ihorangi Reweti-Peters, who was in state care from the age of 10, said Oranga Tamariki failed to keep him safe when he repeatedly tried to end his life.
"I had a social worker tell me that if I really wanted to kill myself, I would just go out and do it, and not tell anyone.
"It's shocking that so many young people in care are struggling on a daily basis with suicidal ideation and mental illness, and yet the state is not intervening and providing the support we need."
Reweti-Peters, who left Oranga Tamariki care in October last year, is now a spokesperson for VOYCE (Voice Of the Young and Care Experienced) — Whakarongo Mai, a national independent advocacy organisation for children and young people in care.
He said free access to mental health support should be a given, but "especially for any young person with a care experience".
VOYCE is calling for counselling services to be "free and mandatory" for all tamariki and rangatahi entering state care, and support should be offered as a matter of course to all young people in care, rather than waiting to respond when things reach a crisis point.
It was not acceptable that Oranga Tamariki did not give mental health training to all staff and caregivers, Reweti-Peters said.
"They say that it's too hard, but really we are dealing with the most vulnerable rangatahi, tamariki, pēpē and whānau and mental health needs to be at the centre of their [Oranga Tamariki] inductions and training."
VOYCE chief executive Tracie Shipton said it was "heartening" to see the Office of the Auditor General putting the focus on young people in care.
"[However] it is disappointing and frustrating to read about the lack of communication and information sharing between services who are all meant to support young people. If we don't make real changes to inter agency communication, we risk reading about the lack of it in a coroner's report," she said.
The organisation was urging government departments to prioritise the recommendations in the report, she said.
"We stand ready to support agencies with the appropriate inclusion of care experienced youth voices."
SHARE ME