I have found an honest Lawyer!! Lead letter in the NZ Herald dated 27/12/11 written by a former staff solicitor (Carmel Claridge) who worked with families in South Auckland. The heading of the letter was “Save the kids from their “whanau”:
“One of the worst experiences of my working life was practicing law as a staff solicitor for a law firm in South Auckland. Part of my role was to make applications on instructions from CYF staff for care orders, guardianship orders and adoption orders for children under the care of the government.
I became increasingly uncomfortable with my part, not just as a professional doing my job, but as a human being. Sadly, my experience was that the primary motivator for most of the adults involved with these children was money. Money to the psychologists for their reports, money to the lawyers for their documents and court appearances, and ultimately money for the people in whose care these children were placed.
Not one of the people who were putting up their hands to take on the care of these children, in all the files I worked on, were self-supporting. All were beneficiaries. The care orders – or if one is being cynical, the control of these young lives – were simply a means to notch up on the benefit ladder, a means to quicker state housing, and a means to ensure continued access to taxpayer-funded systems supposedly in place to ensure the wellbeing of children.
The calibre of these people was, to be brutally honest, often so inadequate I would hesitate to leave my pets in their care, let alone a child. The “whanau” preference, as set out in legislation, is failing miserably.
Sadly, the best thing for many children at risk, brown skin or white, is to get them as far away from their “whanau” as possible, until such time as those children have had the opportunity to experience life without abuse, violence, poverty and welfare dependence. Without that opportunity, they do not stand a chance, and neither do their children, or their children’s children.
#1 by jane on December 27, 2011 - 6:12 pm
It is an irony that the justice system touts the ‘without prejudice’ banner yet they themselves are biased by money and professional reputation. Having such prejudice over the ‘care of children’ biases their ability to provide it as the stats and outcome research proves. Shameful behaviour. Utter greed. The biggest culprit of child abuse in this country is the state…
The job to provide care of children should be given to someone who actually cares about children not their back pocket. Families shouldn’t be for sale.
#2 by David on December 29, 2011 - 8:14 am
Who is Carmel Claridge? She is not listed as a registered lawyer anywhere.
#3 by AKI Widad on January 5, 2012 - 10:05 am
In the follow up that followed in the Herald, most of the responses focused on the whanau / family comments rather that her point that the ‘professionals’ who were busy clipping the ticket.
In my view it is this ticket clipping and their lack of motivation to get a clear cut solution early on in the piece which is half the problem with family court cases.