• Have you gone to CYFS for help and found they have made things far worse for you and your children?
• Have you been falsely accused by someone of neglecting or abusing your children and CYFS has believed them?
• Have you had a child or children abruptly removed by CYFS, leaving you devastated?
• Do you want to help friends or relatives who have had their children removed by CYFS?

 Then PANIC is the group for you!

• PANIC has heard from many parents throughout New Zealand who consider they have been wrongly deprived of their children.
• Panic has been formed to help these families, with practical help, information and advocacy.

1. To provide emotional and spiritual support to parents who have a child or children under the care of CYFS or who feel threatened by social agencies.
2. To assist parents in their efforts to regain the custody of their children where they have been wrongly deprived of them, or not returned after a period of respite care or “neutral assessment”.
3. To thoroughly research the law governing CYFS, how it operates, and how families have been affected.
4. To work for change in the CYPF Act 1989, particularly to those sections allowing CYFS to abruptly remove children without any consultation with their parents.
5. To act as a watchdog on CYFS procedures so that parents are more likely to be treated appropriately and to be properly informed of their rights.
6. To see a right balance to be restored between the right of a child to be safe and the right to be in his/her own family.
7. To see the Family Group Conference reformed so that it may include supportive friends who may know the child and not include relatives who have no genuine interest or involvement in the family.
8. To influence Government to make “child protection” authorities and workers in CYFS more accountable.

The CYFS – Family Court structure is supposed to do what is in the best interests of children but for many children it has become a harsh and uncaring system which, without just cause, removes them from their parents for months and sometimes years.

Families sometimes need the positive assistance of a helping agency so CYFS is often the first port of call.  However, because of the inadequate investigative skills and callous attitude of some social workers, parents often feel they are being treated as criminals and that CYFS’ approach is totally destructive.

Social workers often see family situations in the worst possible light, their unbalanced investigations distorting the truth and convincing the Family Court that their investigations are necessary.

When children are removed from basically safe and loving homes, they suffer intense trauma and long-term misery from being separated from their siblings and parents.

It is clear that the approach to many families is wrong.  The main purpose of the CYPF Act 1989 is to assist and support families and only remove children as a last resort.

 THE UNNECESSARY REMOVAL OF CHILDREN HAS GOT TO STOP!

1. Offer a supportive listening ear to all who contact us.
2. Encourage parents to write down their story; assist them to write formal complaints to CYFS and to prepare affidavits for Family Court hearings.
3. Inform parents of their rights and what avenues in the CYPF Act 1989 may help them to obtain redress for their situation.
4. Assist parents to find a suitable lawyer and accompany them to meetings with lawyers and social workers.
5. Support parents in their seeking better treatment from social workers and in obtaining a fair hearing in the Family Court.
6. Collect information on families’ situations so as to build up a body of evidence revealing the extent of inappropriate treatment by CYFS.
7. Inform the public through the print media to foster awareness of injustices suffered by families and to promote greater accountability by CYFS.
8. Facilitate the setting up of more support groups in other parts of New Zealand.

To support parents caught up in the CYFS and Family Court system, working to redress injustices, rectify mistakes, and reform procedures.

To see families strengthened and restored by having their children returned to the rightful custody of their parent(s).

For more information and membership application form, please contact: