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Obese child removal scheme slammed

Author
Alexia Russell ,
Publish Date
Wed, 1 Apr 2015, 9:00AM
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Obese child removal scheme slammed

Author
Alexia Russell ,
Publish Date
Wed, 1 Apr 2015, 9:00AM

Updated 10.48am: Obesity is a huge problem, but blaming and shaming isn't the answer to it.

One expert is horrified this morning at a Perth scheme talked about during a child abuse conference in Auckland, where parents who've failed to address children's obesity can be referred to welfare services.

In New Zealand, agencies are talking about the best way to manage issues of medical neglect.

Professor Wayne Cutfield, the Director of the Auckland Child Health Research Centre at the Liggins Institute, says it's true that our obesity rates are some of the worst in the world.

"But in terms of strategies going forward, simply blaming and shaming and potentially removing or incarcerating children is the wrong approach."

"It's incredibly disappointing that the way we manage child obesity could end out being reduced to removing children from their families, attempting to regulate and manipulate those families."

Wayne Cutfield says some communities with high rates of obesity don't recognise it as a problem, so there are some fundamental hurdles we need to address first.

Welfare authorities in New Zealand insist they're not in the business of taking obese children away from their families.

The Ministry of Social Development says it's an emerging area and agencies are talking about what the best approach is.

At the moment, CYFs doesn't make statutory interventions solely because of obesity or anorexia.

It says while it's still very early days, there have been initial talks with health agencies and specialists around managing concerns relating to medical neglect.

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