Compulsory child checks etc

to what i read its alot like what plunket is doing now but... if you don't let plunket come to visit then you will get reported. So in my understanding thats ok.

as a third time mum I always used Plunket as I like to know my child is ok and growing and do what they are spose to..

I hear ya James - but they can tell when asked why they don;t use the service why... I have a very good friend who doesn't use plunket cause their baby was very sick from an early age and so was always seeing a pead so I guess they would be a case that could 'innocently' get reported. I think they have alot of fine tuning to do before passing it as law.

I agree Liz, I quite openly admitted when the gremlins were smaller that I didn't like them very much coz that's how I felt, but I did get some funny looks from random Plunket nurses and doctors on our various trips to Starship coz they automatically assumed that coz I was having bonding issues I therefore wanted to hurt the gremlins, when in fact it was just the opposite, I felt nothing at all full stop.

I think the proposal is good in theory, but so hard to put into practise. I know a woman who didn't register her third child's birth coz she didn't want CYFS asking questions so for all intents and purposes the child didn't exist. And at risk families tend to be more transient in lifestyle and move around a lot so at what point would someone notice that the children had missed a check or two, and would they even be able to find them. Not to mention people who move and transfer to a new provider but forget to update the old one so have the checks done somewhere else and then the old provider thinks they've missed one and so on.

I am not a parent yet but personally feel that its quite an intrusion into family life. I can see where they are coming from but kinda resent the fact that they presume that I will hurt my child.

I think its puts more pressure on 1st time mums, when its pretty stressful anyway. I also agree with Lizzle, who is going to check and what makes them eligible to check up on others?

Interesting but not overly practical!

I agree that this is an intrusion into our homes if this takes place. I feel it's another way the government is deciding what's best for our families and how we raise our children.

I personally don't think the system is a viable one anyway, as it would be close to impossible to have every family checked up on. Plus those people who are likely to abuse their children will probably do it anyway. Will these people have to make an appointment? You can't really expect people to allow them straight into their homes whenever they want. It's an invasion of privacy.

$5m can certainly be invested into the problem each year, but I don't think that's the solution. Maybe better education for new parents would help. I don't know.

That's just my view though.

If it saves one child's life, it's totally worth it.