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Jamiee - Source: Close Up -
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The IRD has admitted it does not do police checks on people who claim child support, after it was revealed that some parents are being forced to pay for their children to live in dangerous situations.
The admission comes after TV ONE's Close Up exposed failures in benefit payouts, where people were able to claim support money from the government for "looking after" runaway teenagers.
In one particular case, Jaimee was 13-years-old when she ran away and said that by the time she was 15, she was living in a car garage while the next-door neighbour claimed a benefit in her name.
Jaimee said she has lived in 18 homes in two years, by choice. She says it was too easy to apply for financial support. Four parties, including members of her extended family, claimed benefits for looking after her.
"I just told the lady (at Work and Income New Zealand) what had happened, and she said 'alright' and pretty much granted me the benefit straight way.
Her mother Karen told Close Up she received no support from the government when she raised concerns over her daughter's living situation.
"The one time when I did try to say, 'Look, for these reasons I don't believe this is a safe place for my daughter', I got told to be quiet," said Karen.
"She's 15 years old and she's living with a 19-year-old boy in a shed. Child Youth and Family Services knows, everyone knows, and it seems to be ok."
Jaimee also claimed that the people she lived with included alcoholics and drug users and that she lived a transient lifestyle, moving between houses constantly.
She also said that no one from the department came to check on her or her living situation, despite her mother continuing to pay child support.
"They tell me that I have to support my daughter until she's 19 years of age. They won't give me any information at all, all they tell me is that if I don't pay I'll get penalties added," said Karen.
Work and Income said that it granted benefits to four separate people who were claiming to look after Jaimee at different times, and Inland Revenue said that situations like Jaimee and Karen's were fraught.
"Inland Revenue does not carry out police checks on those who claim child support... (it) assumes the person to whom child support is paid supports the child," said Graham McKerracher of the IRD.
"A parent should not be asked to pay child support for a single child to three different parties..we have made an administrative error...our systems should have picked (it) up."
Both Social Development Minister Paula Bennett and Revenue Minister Peter Dunne refused to comment on the issue, with Dunne's office telling Close Up that "there is no point in pursuing this one further"
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