Kia ora e te whānau

This week I was saddened to read a media release issued by the Ministry of Education in response to NZPF’s call to contest the ‘directed’ enrolments of young people exhibiting violent behaviour patterns. NZPF believes it is necessary to examine the circumstances of a ‘directed’ enrolment and the funding and support provided to ensure all young people at school are safe and protected.

I was concerned that the Ministry’s response was to defend the current resources they provide; the Behaviour Service; the Intensive Wraparound Service; the Interim Response Fund; and the RTLB Service-He Pikorua. These resources are logjammed, overburdened, and in many respects ineffective. After 15 months of advocating for a significant system shift on responding to violent behaviour, the lack of pace and ‘new thinking’ on these issues, demonstrated in the Ministry of Education’s response, is very concerning.

Yesterday I asked through social media for principals to email Katrina Casey, Iona Holsted, Chris Hipkins, Jan Tinetti and Kelvin Davis to share an example of the impact of violence at school and the lack of effective resources to deal with serious behaviour.

Many of you responded with heart wrenching stories of struggle and harm - not only the struggles of young people experiencing crisis, but also the damage their serious behaviour has on those around them.

Thank you for responding and for the honesty shared in your examples. If you haven’t already done so, please email your examples today (email addresses here). It is critical that our Ministry and Ministers get a clear understanding of the nature of the challenge you, your staff, and young people are dealing with.

NZPF wants to see the system hold young people experiencing serious challenges within schooling, so that they can receive the therapeutic help they need. We have been advocating for an addition to the schooling system of Te Tupu Managed Moves, an outstanding inclusive venue-based service currently piloted in Napier. It is an approach that catches young people before they are excluded by Boards of Trustees and provides the wraparound therapeutic support needed while holding the young person in education. It is a service that our most damaged and traumatised young people can access. This sort of support is necessary because teachers and schools currently do not have the resources to deal with our most damaged young people. As a consequence, we see Boards of Trustees using exclusion and that in itself is damaging and inequitable for young people and particularly Māori tamariki and rangatahi who are overrepresented in the statistics.

NZPF’s position is clear. We want to see an end to exclusions and ‘directed enrolments’ because the system has the appropriate options and supports to hold young people in education and get them the help they need. Currently the system does not adequately provide for the most damaged and traumatised young people. ‘Directing’ a young person to enrol in school without the therapeutic help they need, or appropriate support is irresponsible.

NZPF’s call to contest ‘directed enrolments’ is not a call to reject ‘directed enrolments’ but to question the appropriateness of the conditions of the enrolment and the support available to ensure all young people are safe and well supported.

Such a position is well supported in the Health and Safety in the Workplace Act. Boards of Trustees have a duty to eliminate risks to health and safety, so far as is reasonably practicable; and if it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate risks to health and safety, to minimise those risks so far as is reasonably practicable. If the degree of resourcing provided to support a ‘directed’ student does not allow you to minimise the risk so far as is reasonably practicable then principals are caught in a legislative vice.  On the one hand they must enrol troubled and violent young people and on the other, ensure the safety and wellbeing of all staff and students. That is an impossible situation to place schools in.

NZPF has presented a budget bid to Government for the rollout of 30 Te Tupu Managed Moves Services throughout the motu. The Ministry of Education has costed this at 11.75million annually.

This is easily affordable. It is a quarter of the $38million given to the health, physical education, and sexuality education advisors that the sector did not ask for last year. The Urgent Response fund apportioned $6.2million to EAP counselling services for the education workforce to help them cope with the impact of COVID and a further $7million over three years from the $16million educator wellbeing fund to support future teacher and principal wellbeing initiatives. This fund has had low uptake from the education workforce and is unspent. How about redirecting it to fund a national Te Tupu Manged Moves rollout to make a practical difference to the mental health and wellbeing of the teaching workforce while also helping young people in crisis?

The truth is there is no shortage of funding. It is a matter of priority. A national rollout of Te Tupu is inexpensive. It is decisive leadership that is required.

The time for inaction has passed. A wero has been placed before the Ministry of Education and Government.

I have written to Minister Hipkins (here) and Minister Tinetti (here) to state our concerns once again.

Principals are asking for urgent help. Please respond!

Ngā manaakitanga

Perry Rush
perry@nzpf.ac.nz