Rotary Excerpt
Brainwave is very fortunate to have Graeme McCormick as an advocate for our findings and work. He spoke this month to the Remuera Rotary Club about his aim for New Zealand’s children.
Below is an extract taken from the March 2007
Newsletter of the Rotary Club of Remuera Inc District 9920
LAST MEETING
- Retired Family Court Judge Graeme McCormick: “For Every Child a Positive Start”
Graeme opened his presentation with his guiding objective: “I no longer have a particular dream. Dreams are fantasies. But I do have a particular aim. That aim is simply expressed: “For every child a positive start”.
It was Graeme’s experience of domestic violence and of cases in which a declaration is sought that a child is in need of care and protection that led him to make proposals that would hopefully lead to a better start for many children (and, incidentally, a better outcome for us all). He set the scene by referring to a case in which a Mrs. A tended to minimise the seriousness of her ex-husband’s behaviour – blaming herself for her husband’s violence. As a result of the violence, of the five children of this family, the older four have all experienced considerable problems at school, ranging from learning difficulties to serious problems with aggression and poor socialisation.
This is unfortunately not an isolated case nor are some of the features confined to South Auckland. It is not impossible for a wife or partner at any level of society to become the victim of a drunken and violent bully – with children similarly terrified, yet imbued with a knowledge of violent ways and the means to dominate and control others.
Graeme’s essential premise is that we are becoming involved in these situations much too late. His thoughts in this regard were dramatically reinforced when he attended a seminar at which there was a presentation from a trustee of the Brainwave Trust (established “to use the scientific research on brain development to enable children in NZ to reach their full potential and to improve their well-being and that of their families and communities” – visit www.brainwave.org.nz ), Dr. Simon Rowley, a neo-natal paediatrician and consultant in the neo-natal unit at Auckland City Hospital. Development of the human brain in the first three years is extremely important for adulthood, as this is when most of the “wiring” of the brain occurs. So the first three years are absolutely critical.
This brain development occurs primarily in response to positive parenting and nurturing. If a child doesn’t receive this sort of start, it will arrive at school with a brain not primed for learning and possibly stunted for life – limited to the basic functions of “fight, flight or freeze” – and limited in the ability to develop empathy, social skills, compassion or to consider the needs of others. Such a child has difficulty learning, becomes bored and disruptive in the classroom, socially isolated, seeks the company of dysfunctional peers and enters the world of drugs, alcohol, gangs, petty then violent crime and imprisonment.
Over the last 40 years, rates of domestic violence have increased horrendously. Murder was once very rare. Now there is a homicide every ten days or so. We seem to have devoted fewer resources to the initial care of new-born and infant children. Having given birth, mothers are discharged from hospital within hours, not days. Plunket does not appear to be as well-resourced or as readily available – even with its role of what is called “well-child provider”.
The reasons that we are not providing better for the first two or three years of rapid development are: firstly, because the research promulgated by the Brainwave Trust is not sufficiently well-known; secondly, because anything effective is going to cost money and the benefits, although undoubted, are difficult to quantify; thirdly, because the under-threes cannot advocate for themselves.
Graeme had some proposals:
1. Identify children most at risk, using a universal welfare and needs assessment, within six weeks of birth, which is aligned with the work of the Plunket and some public health nurses and other family-oriented medical people.
2. Target resources to the parents and caregivers of the children considered most at risk. This would give these children’s parents and caregivers new hope and new directions.
There is a range of community organisations ready and willing to help, particularly if they are better funded. In Graeme’s view, it is better that these organisations provide assistance, rather than the Child, Youth and Family Service, which is primarily an enforcement agency. A stock-take is needed of those organisations to determine what services they provide and with what outcomes.
The approach needs much more than empathy and rapport. There needs to be the ability to confront power and control issues, drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence, meaningful support rather than another benefit payment. In Graeme’s view, we also need a Minister for Children. We need a VIP for VIP: Vulnerable Infant Programme for Very Important People.
There are some objections to these proposals:
1. Cost. But the cost of doing nothing is huge. Murray Weatherston has guestimated the costs of domestic violence, child abuse and related injuries and homicides at NZ$1.7 billion per annum.
2. The human rights issues: the fear of infringing on parents’ rights and freedoms. But the children are children of the community as well and we all have an interest in how they are raised.
This is not really a human rights issue. It is a simple matter of social justice: that every child should receive the best start possible. We should also not forget the words of Dr. Barney Pityana (former chairman of the South African Human Rights Commission): “The worst enemy of human rights is crime”.
These are not “nanny state” proposals. We must do something. So where to from here?
Graeme has written to all MPs. Murray Weatherston initiated and participated in a seminar to encourage wider public debate. Unfortunately, media interest has been distinctly limited. Yet a sound and meaningful children’s policy, aimed at giving every child a positive start and fully and properly implemented, is simply the single most important thing that we can achieve for the future welfare of our society. Our political leaders must be persuaded that urgent action is needed.
