Bright Wings

Prison system helps grow future criminals

Putting parents in prison - and resulting family dysfunction - is contributing to the future prison population. American policy analyst and prison chaplain Samuel K. Aitchison, writing for Patheos, sees the figures speak for themselves.

That the criminal justice system does little to serve the needs of either prison inmates or their families—and thus contributes to its own crime statistics—is hardly news. The literature on the impact of incarceration on families is replete with studies mourning the repetitive criminality of the incarcerated and the sobering prospects for their children.

American statistics indicate that having a parent in prison makes a child five times more likely to end up in prison themselves.

"We know that intact families are a strong contributing factor to prisoners successfully re-entering society. We know that children who are provided a measure of safety, security, and stability generally grow into productive, happy adults. The prison system, as I have experienced it, works completely to undermine both of these ideals."

New Zealand's lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key mentality sees New Zealand having one of the highest prison populations in the western world. Our prisons are overcrowded and there is little opportunity for effective rehabilitation or support to get inmates' lives back on track once they leave prison.

The wider impact on a prisoner's family and growth of potential future criminals needs to be given greater consideration.

Read the rest of Incarcerated Families here 

Masterton Families Commission study waste of money

A Families Commission study of access to social services for Masterton families has left out those who are most likely to need social services: those at the bottom of the economic food chain.

Although the researchers wanted to include the vulnerable families in their investigations, they could not contact them and most did not have telephones and avoided social services.

Masterton has a large group of economically deprived families. Typically, they don't have landlines, and, as a result, no internet access either.  Phone access is usually pre-paid cellphones.

To have any validity, this study needed to sample households across Masterton, using Statistics meshblocks, and conducting face-to-face interviews where telephone contact wasn't possible (the study used randomised phone sampling).

Any number of local government staff and social service professionals could have directed those conducting the survey to where they would find the economically deprived. 

This ill-conceived report seems to be a complete waste of taxpayers' money.

Read the full report here.

 

The price retail staff pay so we can shop all weekend

New Zealand used to be a labour law trail-blazer. The forty-hour week and three weeks' annual leave ensured workers didn't work unreasonable hours and had time to spend with their families.

Until the 1980s shops - including supermarkets - had a late night on Friday and anyone working fulltime did their supermarket shopping on a Friday evening.

Only greengrocers opened on a Saturday.

The weekend was spent on domestic and sporting activities, visiting friends, possibly going to church, and having the family round for a Sunday roast. Or a picnic if the weather was warm.

Today supermarkets, big-box retailers and shopping malls are open seven days a week. Shopping has become the predominant leisure activity, with people buying more and more stuff they don't actually need.

Instead of saving up to buy one quality item which might last 30 years or more, goods are made down to a price, quality is sacrificed and items which might once have been repaired are tossed aside, replaced by yet more consumer baubles.

Disadvantaged retail staff

The seven-day-a-week shopping bonanza has created an underclass of low-skilled employees, many of whom are forced to work for all or part of the weekend, or at hours during the week that are not conducive to family wellbeing.

Big-box retail employees have limited career options. They do not have a lot of bargaining clout.

For those with families, weekend and evening time that should be spent with the family is often spent working, with both partners juggling low-paying jobs so someone is home to look after the children.

The Wairarapa Times-Age reported staff at The Warehouse Masterton store walked off the job in protest at changes to the way their working hours were structured. (Story not available on-line).  Staff are reported to be feeling stressed and under extreme pressure. While the changes are probably a management reaction to a reduced retail spend, the timing is most unfortunately, coming in the middle of the hectic pre-Christmas period.

And for those of you looking forward to Christmas as a time of relaxation and renewal, spare a thought for big-box retail staff. After a frantic lead-up to Christmas, they finish at 5 pm (if they're lucky) on Christmas Eve, and are then back at work on Boxing Day.

Annual leave between Christmas and New Year is not an option for big-box and supermarket staff. Boxing Day picnic with the family? Forget it.

Photo from the Wairarapa Archive

Looting rife in Samoa

If having your home and possessions - and in some instances some of your family - wiped out by the recent tsunami in Samoa isn't bad enough, they are also having to contend with looting.

Looting isn't confined to Samoa, it happens in New Zealand when residents are evacuated because of natural disasters, such as floods.  I recall an instance where a flood disaster coordinator whose own home was flooded, came home to find it ransacked as well.

It seems we live in a winner-takes-all world.

Someone else's problem

MacDoctor on the backlog of child abuse cases in the Wairarapa.

I recall one policeman telling me that no-one likes child abuse and domestic violence cases because they are thankless in the extreme. Typically the family and relatives are both hostile and abusive. It is very difficult to find a credible witness and consequently convictions are rare. And the cases are always heart-breaking…

Under-resourcing the child abuse case load is tantamount to abandoning these children. It is unlikely that anyone else is going to stand up for them. They will always be somebody else’s problem.

The neighbour who should have intervened – but it was somebody else’s problem

The aunt who should have spoken up – but it was somebody else’s problem

The mother who should have been there – but it was somebody else’s problem

The cousin who should have phoned CYFS – but it was somebody else’s problem

The doctor who should have voiced his suspicions – but it was somebody else’s problem

The CYFS worker who should have paid more attention – but it was somebody else’s problem

The police officials who should have ensure that attention was paid – but it was somebody else’s problem

Now it our problem…

Read the full story here

Film exposes dark side of American food industry

Food, Inc. exposes America's industrialized food system and its effect on our environment, health, economy and workers' rights.

The Wairarapa Farmers' Market is holding a premiere of this excellent movie on Wednesday, 14 October, at 8.30 pm.

If you care about the environment, about what you eat, the epidemic of junk food, diabetes and obesity, factory farming, the global food crisis and genetic engineering, you must see this film.

Further background material on the on the issues covered in the film

Earlier post on Wairarapa Farmers' Market.

Pensioners as parents

For most people with children there's a familiar pattern.  Cope with sleepless nights, the terrible twos, first day at school, see their "nice" child turn into an awkward, argumentative adolescent, wave them a cheery goodbye when they leave home, reclaim the family home, and rejoice when grandchildren are produced.

Four thousand grandparents across New Zealand have said goodbye to a peaceful, ordered existence because a family situation has resulted in these grandparents stepping into the role of parents.

Parenthood is hard enough work when you're of childbearing age. If you are caring for children and also elderly it can be very difficult indeed.

Merv and Wendy Archer with great-granddaughter Lily

Masterton great-grandparents Merv and Wendy Archer have been raising their great-granddaughter, Lily, aged four, since obtaining custody when she was three months old. The child's mother - their granddaughter - did not contest custody and has not made contact for two years.

Merv, 75, is suffering from cancer but is determined to provide his great-granddaughter with a normal childhood. The couple, who live in rental accommodation, struggle to make ends meet and are frustrated that foster parents are entitled to funding for clothing, medical and education costs, but not grandparents.

Merv is the Wairarapa branch vice chairman of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Wendy is co-ordinator for the regional organisation, which was founded four years ago.

Lives similar to their own are being led by at least 32 other "retread" parents and fellow GRG members now raising more than 40 grandchildren or great-children in Wairarapa, he said.

Things are "hard all over" when you're raising children on a pension, he said, and ill health is stalking your otherwise golden years.

A report commissioned by the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust, by social work consultant Jill Worrall, highlights some of the difficulties.

More than half the children were reported as having serious physical and psychological problems as a result of the abuse and neglect they had before coming into their grandparents' care. However, eighty-six percent reported significant improvements over time.  “The research shows this is directly attributed to the stability of care and the resilience and commitment of the grandparents."

While grandparents described the joy of seeing the children recover and thrive they also described the struggles they experience.

Deterioration in their own health as they advance in years, expensive legal wrangles to maintain custody and a need for family were expressed along with a need for better and affordable housing, assistance with education costs and clothing in many cases,” says Worrall. 

Raising children is expensive and many grandparents raising children face considerable financial hardship.

Total family income is less than $20,000 p.a. for 22% of respondents and less than $30,000 for 25% of respondents. Solo carers, who represented 38.6% of participants, were particularly financially compromised. Several described a struggle to feed themselves and their children adequately. One carer stated a wish “not to go to bed hungry,[for] clothes that fit, money to survive and not to have to worry about work and income and the situation of my daughter.”

In April this year the Unsupported Child Benefit was raised to the same base weekly payment available to unrelated foster carers. While this will assist,

grandparents raising grandchildren are not currently eligible for the ancillary payments for clothing, health/medical and education costs that are available to foster carers. Consequently many grandparents still face extreme hardship meeting the costs associated with caring for children who need ongoing specialist medical, therapeutic or educational help as a result of the abuse and trauma they suffered before their grandparents stepped in to care for them.

On top of this grandparents also suffer social isolation. While their contemporaries are enjoying retirement these grandparents always have children with them. This limits the range of social activities they can participate in.

The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust is holding their inaugural conference during Grandparents Week, on 28 and 29 October 2009.

Read the full story of Merv and Wendy Archer in the Wairarapa Times-Age

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren website

2009 Research Report (Jill Worrall)

Robots to care for elderly

An alarming post on American blog Our Parents suggests that robots could be taking over some aged caregiving duties within the next three years.

Through a combination of speech, gesture, and touch recognition caregiver robots will aid elderly people in a variety of ways.

Rest home caregivers struggle to provide meaningful interaction with elderly in their care now as underfunding of the sector means that resthome staff are very stretched.

Although a robot may remove the risk of human error when administering medicines, for example, they will also lack the personal connection that we, as humans, need. And attempts to make the robots too human-like may backfire because of a phenomenon known as the “uncanny valley:” when a robot or animated character is too lifelike people will react with revulsion. Psychologically, we cannot handle machines that are too perfect and lifelike.

I hope no-one suggests bringing this to New Zealand.

Worthwhile reading

A couple of interesting items on Stuff:

Michael Laws on How MPs rort a nation - the perks of being an MP.

Contrast this with the work of Julie Helson, who is providing practical support for children in need through her charity KidsCan.  This charity meets children's most basic needs - a raincoat, shoes, socks and food through 100 schools in New Zealand.  TV3 is holding a Telethon to support this practical initiative next month.

Women's Refuge Appeal

Emma Hart tells a poignant and sickening story that characterises the journey of women in a violent relationship.  Any port in a storm is compelling reading.

Women's Refuge 2009 Annual Appeal is underway. You can support their appeal with an online donation here

Maori social issues highlighted in report

Wellington researcher Lindsay Mitchell looks at social issues affecting Maori development in a study commissioned by the Business Roundtable released today.

The report looks at the

disproportionately high rate among Maori of crime and incarceration, drug and alcohol abuse; teenage births and single parenthood, child abuse, and unemployment.

It also looks at the impacts of early discrimination and separatism; disruption of
whanau links, loss of mana and the vulnerability of Maori to the corrupting power of
welfare handouts; intergenerational welfare; past and current notions of
paternalism and communalism as opposed to individual responsibility; and the
roles all these have played in creating social problems among Maori today.

The report also agrees with the views of the late Sir Apirana Ngata, who suggested that welfare support would disadvantage, rather than assist Maori.

“While there are confounding factors, such as low educational achievement and
childhood deprivation, the evidence clearly indicates that welfare policies, however
well-intentioned, have hurt Maori more than other New Zealanders, and will
continue to do so. In particular, the practice of paying for single parenting,
substituting the state for whanau, has perverse effects on people who will continue
to feature heavily in statistics that describe the worst aspects of life today.