The Green Paper for Vulnerable Children: we can talk about child abuse now. But don't do anything about it just yet..

The governments response to child abuse is clear: have a chat about it until 28 February 2012 when submissions to the Green Paper close. I’ve now read it. Have read most of it before. Several times.

Here’s some extracts:

Government isn’t afraid to challenge itself and openly debate these issues with New Zealanders to find solutions that will help our children.

When is the open debate going to start? Am I allowed to play? The Minister says it is the “single most important debate we can have”. We should have had it years ago but we were more interested in debating whether we should smack our kids.

To achieve the best results for vulnerable children, New Zealand needs strong leadership, stability, accountability and long-term commitment.

But that has got to translate into action, not smiling and waving.

Getting good services for vulnerable children may not need new money but a more effective targeting of money already in the system and a commitment to invest in programmes with a sound evidence base

This is a “hot air” statement.

We may be spending on programmes and services that are not based on sound evidence or delivered effectively. When Government implements new policies, they need to be evaluated

So if they need to be, why the conscious refusal to evaluate?

The Government wants all children to receive the services they, and their families and whanau, need to thrive, belong and achieve. However, some children and their families and whanau do not receive essential child services for a variety of reasons. For example, their parents may not know where or how to access services, there may be a lack of appropriate services available, they may not be able to access services, or they may not want to engage with these services.

Or because the service providers do not communicate the services that the needy need to be advised of, and that’s okay by governments.

The Government wants services delivered to children, and their families and whanau, to be readily accessible, acceptable and appropriate.

And you know what, it has absolutely no idea how this should be done effectively.

This Green Paper is to National what the anti-smacking legislation was to Labour – an ineffective bandaid over a growing problem.

Minister Paula Bennett says child abuse has to stop. So, can we do something about it, then rather than adding some new ideas to previously rehashed ones that were ignored by governments.

Instead, getting National MPs to do media releases that all say the same thing with the same quotes and comments in an attempt to be seen to do something about child abuse is a bit like all those Labour MPs who smiled and nodded in unison behind Phil Goff when they wanted to do something about Goff's leadership and Labour's poor polling.