Alternatives to state care. Time for new thinking ?

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care, and controversy surrounding some Oranga Tamariki uplift cases has brought this country's record on protecting children this year, once again into sharp focus. So what are alternatives to foster care? A newly-released study, 'Fostering the family not just the child', argues residential intervention programmes for women and their children have the potential to change families' lives for the better, and are worth investigating robustly as an alternative to state care. Co-authors Dr Charlene Rapsey and Cassandra Rolston, from Otago University's Department of Psychological Medicine, based their study on in-depth interviews with women using the three stage residential programme, Granger Grove. Lynn Freeman talks to Dr Rapsey and Judy Mataia the Chief Executive of Granger Grove.