Foster parents abused 30 children placed in their care by Child, Youth and Family in the past year – and children are still being looked after by caregivers under police investigation for abuse.

The figures have been released to The Dominion Post after seven months following an investigation by the Ombudsman after the Social Development Ministry said there were no central records of caregiver abuse.

They show that CYF investigations have found 30 children were physically, sexually or emotionally abused by 26 foster parents since 2010.

Two had been emotionally abused, 27 physically abused and one sexually abused by an approved caregiver.

All but one of the abused foster children were removed from care.

But four caregivers – one of whom was discharged without conviction and three who are under police investigation – remain approved by CYF and have other children in their care.

The ministry initially said it could not provide the statistics because it did not collate the information centrally.

But after a request from Social Development Minister Paula Bennett and the Ombudsman’s investigation, the ministry manually reviewed 150 cases to find the figures.

In 2005, after a similar inquiry, the agency, then known as the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, said it was working on a system to make the information available.

The ministry yesterday said this had not happened because the department merged into the Social Development Ministry shortly afterwards, and frontline services were a priority over annual national reporting of child abuse by caregivers. The information was held at a local level. Data on caregiver abuse will now be included in the Social Development Ministry’s annual report.

CYF chief social worker Paul Nixon said allegations of abuse were taken seriously. “Sadly, a very small number of young people in our care are abused by our approved caregivers … it is wholly unacceptable for any child to be abused.”

Those caregivers still approved had committed “low-level offences” and CYF was confident the children were safe.

Foster parents and household members are police-checked, referees must be provided and they are visited by social workers in their home. There are currently 3410 approved CYF caregivers.

Ms Bennett said she was “deeply concerned” when she found the information had never been collated nationally.

“I’ve been insisting on a change of practice ever since, and Child, Youth and Family has worked hard to achieve this, though it has taken time.

“It’s deeply distressing when children who have been placed with wider family or non-family caregivers because of abuse in their own home, are then re-abused by that new caregiver.

“While most caregivers do a wonderful job, often with challenging children from difficult backgrounds, clearly there are a few who have let children down once again and that is unacceptable.”

A further 41 children in CYF care were abused by a third party in the past year.

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