15 October 09
Too many New Zealand children are mired in dysfunction. Abuse and poor parenting mark their early lives, setting them on a grim trajectory of anti-social behaviour leading to negative outcomes like substance abuse, poor health and crime. But though the problems are bleak, effective family intervention programmes hold out real hope of change. The best hope is in funding programmes that work, and getting in early. Professor David Fergusson will speak about the portfolio of interventions available to New Zealand and the need for careful and thorough implementation and evaluation of these interventions.+ more
09 October 09
Too many New Zealand children are mired in dysfunction. But effective family intervention programmes hold out real hope of change, of reversing the slide into dysfunction.+ more
29 September 09
"There is always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible and wrong," said American journalist H L Mencken back in 1917. The Families Commission's renewed advocacy for extending paid parental leave is unfortunately one more example of a neat, plausible, yet misguided government programme, developed by bureaucrats who believe their job is to implement solutions.+ more
22 December 08
In his defence of the maintenance of a separate Children's Commission, Ian Hassall (himself a former Children's Commissioner) argues that merging it with the Families Commission will not work, given that the "expectations" of various groups, including children and families, "are sometimes in competition with one another." Families in competition with children.+ more
17 April 08
As youth homelessness rises in Australia, it becomes clear that economic prosperity does not solve all problems—rather community, individuals and government must take initiative in supporting vulnerable young people.+ more