In Malachi Subecz’s follow-up report, it is highlighted that children are not any safer today than when the tragic incident involving the 5-year-old occurred. Aroturuki Tamariki chief executive, Arran Jones, emphasized that social workers are facing challenges in responding to reports of concern due to limited resources, resulting in varying thresholds for intervention and placing children at risk.
Nearly half of the reports of concern raised by NGOs to Oranga Tamariki are not acted upon, causing distress and frustration for frontline workers. The report, which is part of a series of similar ones over the past 30 years, calls for urgent systemic changes to ensure the safety of children.
Malachi’s family desires to remember him for his kind nature, highlighting the importance of addressing the gaps in New Zealand’s child protection system that allowed vulnerable children to go unnoticed. The tragic case of Malachi, who suffered abuse and eventually lost his life at the hands of his carer, underscored the need for immediate action to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Despite several reviews and recommendations, the progress has been slow, resulting in inadequacies in child protection, education, welfare, and health sectors. The lack of urgency and collaboration among agencies further exacerbates the challenges in keeping children safe.
#ChildSafety #ProtectOurChildren #EndChildAbuse #SafeChildhood #SystemicChange
