Govt warned to close youth facility

[Lilith7]

It would be nice to think that any future govt could learn from this report & take up the recommendations.


https://www.thepost.co.nz/a/politics/350...uff_skybox

"The Government was last year told to shut down a controversial youth justice residence – where boys were forced to fight and offenders later staged a rooftop stand-off.

A report by former police commissioner Mike Bush – kept secret until now – paints a horrifying picture of staff and culture inside South Auckland centre Korowai Manaaki, saying it was a “near miracle” no-one had been hurt or killed.

The review points to “under-qualified and under-prepared” workforce that was casualised, and not trained to deal with high-needs teenagers housed there.

“We consider it a near miracle that death or serious injury have not occurred to date,” the report, written in July 2022, said.

It also criticised “a male-dominated and cliquey leadership ethos” and “an old-fashioned, command and control model of management.”A year after Ministry for Children Oranga Tamariki, which runs the centres, received the report into Korowai Manaaki, five teenagers escaped onto the roof, causing significant damage during a 40-hour standoff.
A sickening video then emerged just a few days later, showing a fight between two children. A staff member had filmed the video and another appeared to egg on the violence.

”Effective leadership, professionalism, an outcomes focus, a safe, inclusive culture and a sense of calm must replace crisis, ad hoc reactivity and the current exclusive and disengaged internal culture,” his report recommended.

Teenagers are sent to the facilities whilst facing serious charges in the Youth Court or if sentenced to three to six months in custody. The centres are supposed to have a heavy focus on rehabilitation, with schooling, sports and cultural activities, and cooking.

But the Korowai Manaaki reviewers, which included investigator Debbie Francis and former police senior sergeant Mike Paki, found the kitchen and art studio had not been used for “many months” and other developmental, or anti-recidivism programmes were shut down during the Covid-19 pandemic."