Case note on treatment of disabled mother and removal of newborn child

A case note released today looks into a complaint about Child, Youth and Family, which became Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children, removing a five-day-old child from their autistic mother.

The complaint followed several attempts by the mother and her family to resolve the matter with the Ministry.

The Chief Ombudsman formed the opinion the Ministry acted unreasonably in its treatment of the child’s mother. This included lack of action during and after pregnancy to identify available supports, communication with hospital staff, failure to understand the mother’s strengths as a disabled person and the nature of her disability, and an early decision for a permanent ‘home for life’ placement.

See the case note