Children's Commissioner slams Oranga Tamariki

The Children's Commissioner Andrew Beecroft says a report into Oranga Tamariki's removal of a baby from a Hawkes Bay mother is a daming indictment of a failed and flawed social work policy. The Ministry has apologised to the family about the attempted removal of the six-day-old baby from his 19-year-old mother, which prompted a standoff with midwives at the hospital. A review released yesterday found the agency failed to communicate properly with the baby's family, didn't investigate a whanau placement and made decisions before engaging with his mother. Judge Beecroft told reporter Katie Doyle it's clear huge changes are needed.