Parents do not attend
If parents are unwilling to attend the family meeting, they cannot be forced to. They must be encouraged to come as it is in the child's best interests that they do.
If parents remain unwilling to come, decide whether there are any issues that need to be looked at by Oranga Tamariki.
There may be a genuine reason why parents cannot come to the family meeting. They may be sick or disabled, or unable to get leave from work.
When parents do not attend the Family Meeting, you must try and contact them to confirm that they are unable to care for their child.
You can do this by:
- writing to them and asking for information
- arranging for them to be interviewed at another service centre (if they live in another location) or
- interviewing them at their home (if they request this)
If information cannot be gained from the parents, make every effort to ensure that the information given by the caregiver is correct.
If, after attempts to get full details from the parent and the caregiver, there is still not enough information to grant the benefit, the application can be declined.
For more information see:
