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Social Development Minister Paula Bennett on Breakfast. - Source: Breakfast -
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The Green Party is calling on the Government to take immediate steps to collect national records of children abused while in Child, Youth and Family care.
A review commissioned by Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has revealed 71 children were abused in welfare care over a 12 month period between 2010 and 2011.
Of those cases 30 involved abuse by a CYF approved caregivers, and the rest by a third party caregiver.
Currently records of such cases are held only at a regional level, but the Green Party is demanding it be collated nationally.
Bennett said data is being collected as best it can be and that to collect it nationally would require a complete IT overhaul.
She said the Ministry of Social Development was looking into a system upgrade.
Former Children's Commissioner Dr Ian Hassall said the official figures prove the monitoring of care within CYF leaves something to be desired.
He said the state should be protecting these children.
Hassall said more money is needed to have enough resources to ensure checks and balances are in place.
Bennett said 13 people have been prosecuted by police.
- With Newstalk ZB