“Hapaitia te ara tika pumau ai te rangatiratanga mo nga uri whakatipu. Foster the pathway of knowledge to strength, independence, and growth for future generations”

You are invited to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the work being done on the specialist teams working in child protection. We want to expand your child protection awareness and capacity to recognize, respond to, and support tamariki.

The panel of guest speakers will be from Police, Oranga Tamariki, and Auckland District Health Board.

If you are working with children under the age of 12, anywhere in our community, this conference is for you.

On average a child dies every five weeks as a result of violence in New Zealand, and children under 12 months old make up the majority of this statistic. Children under the age of 18 make up 20% of all deaths in New Zealand. The impact of child abuse is profound, impairing the ability of children and youth to move forward to lead healthy and productive lives. Findings from neuroscience, developmental psychology, molecular biology and economics leave no room for doubt; early childhood matters significantly in development. Adverse early life experiences - including abuse, neglect and growing up with caregivers who struggle with mental health and addictions, affect the developing brain - resulting in increased physical and mental disorders, addictions, and learning difficulty later in life.

The prevention of child abuse and effective intervention in dealing with severe cases of abuse is difficult and complex worldwide. New Zealand demonstrated a concerted effort to work in the best interests of children and their whānau, which led to the emergence of the Child Advocacy Centre model. Puawaitahi, which means "blossoming in unity", is a Multi-Agency centre that brings together key agencies involved in child abuse processes. Puawaitahi is an interagency partnership committed to providing a coordinated and effective response to the abuse and neglect of children and young people.

This is about starting a conversation.