Child squad fully engaged

Press, 24 September 1987, Page 1

Child squad fully engaged

By

SUE LANCASTER

Christchurch’s new Child Protection Team has had more than eight cases a week of child abuse or serious neglect since it began accepting referrals on August 3. Within, seVen weeks of beginning, the .team is dealing with 60 cases of sexual or physical abuse of children aged from two to 17. This number also includes cases of serious neglect. The team’s case load has drawn the comment from the chairman of the Mangere Child Protection Team, Dr lan Hassall, that two or three cases a week - was as much as any team coilld deal with. “I really believe for a city the size of Christchurch five’ teams would be proper,” he Said. He said that many of thd factors that seemed to have, occurred in the. case of an Auckland child who was killed by her mother recently did not' happen when there was co-ordi-nation of services through . a child protection team. .7 7 The chairman of the Christ-, church team, Dr Karen Zelas,, said that it had been known for. some time that Christchurch' would eventually need three teams. However, there might be more urgent priorities in districts which did not already have a funded team. Christchurch’s team was the fifth Government-funded one.