The 2009 Child Discipline Referendum - what children and young people think about parents' right to hit children.

0800WHATSUP (What’s Up) is New Zealand’s largest telephone helpline for children and young people. The service receives 1400 calls each day from children wishing to speak with a counsellor. The primary source of referral for callers is other children and young people, indicating a high level of trust on the service provided by the helpline.

In the lead up to Referendum ’09, What’s Up provided an opportunity for children and young people to express their views about physical punishment and whether or not adults should be able to claim a legal defence if charged with assaulting a child.

The initial results from the survey show that the majority of callers (more than 55 percent) do not think parents taken to court for hitting a child should be let off if they say they were disciplining the child.

Despite this, comments from the children and young people who participated in the survey suggest many children are conditioned to expect and accept physical discipline from parents.

Importantly, many of the callers suggested that parents should be let off with a warning or community service if they perpetrated low levels of violence against children. This is how the child discipline law is working in practice. Parents are not being prosecuted for lightly or occasionally smacking a child, only serious levels of violence are being prosecuted.

Many of the children agree that abuse is intolerable and some children told of significant assaults from parents because the parent was angry, not necessarily because of bad behaviour from the child.

The report that follows represents a very early sample of results in the survey but provides valuable insights nonetheless. 0800WHATSUP and Barnardos New Zealand are pleased to support children’s voices being heard in this important public debate about the rights and wrongs of hitting children.

Murray Edridge
Chief Executive
Barnardos New Zealand

Mike Ungar presentation - Strengths-based practice with at-risk children and families: Interventions to nurture hidden resilience across cultures and contexts

What: A two day workshop for professionals

When: 12 – 13 October 2009

Where:At Sorrento in the Park, One Tree Hill Domain, Royal Oak, Auckland

Cost: $350, early bird registration $300 if registering before 31 July

This workshop will count toward the social workers registration board’s continuing professional development requirements.

For more information please click here.

Section 59 - Child Discipline law

Barnardos and EPOCH have designed a pamphlet to provide simple, clear information that we hope promote understanding and support for the new Section 59 law.

To view this pamphlet in English click here.

To view this pamphlet in Te Reo click here.

To view the pamphlet designed for professionals, click here.

Click here for an order form.

Barnardos opens a new Early Learning Centre in Manurewa, Auckland

Barnardos NZ received great coverage on Maori television. Click here for the full story.
The coverage starts at 9.21 and finishes at 11.49

Nought to Five
This popular series on parenting the under fives which addresses the common challenges of each development stage a child passes through, is now available on DVD. Click here to order your copy!

Series One - 10 episodes (each half an hour long):

New Beginnings

The Early Months

Baby on the Move

Wobbly Walkers

Growing Independence (16-24 Months) – 2 of these

The Terrific Twos

Me at Three

The Fabulous Fours

Ready for School

Series Two - 10 episodes (each half an hour long) :

Starting Out

Infancy

Going Places

Fun at One

Tremendous Toddlers

Just Two

Truly Two

Busy at Three

Four and Loving it

Off to school