MP wants replacement for Phoenix Centre

Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson has waded into debate about the demise of the Phoenix Centre and has asked the Ministry of Education to fund a replacement service for the city's youth.

Mr Hodgson declined to comment on whether the independent evaluation of the Phoenix Centre had any "whiff of predetermination".

• Alternative education centres still under threat 

"However, I think there is an irony that courses through the document, where the reviewer says that there are insufficient resources. Yet the response is to terminate the facility rather than properly fund it."

Karen Sutherland, of Dunedin Secondary Cluster Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour, agreed. She said the closure of the centre was partly based on the review, but closure was not one of the recommendations made by the review.

"All of the recommendations from the review directly targeted management issues."

She and her RTLB colleagues in Dunedin were upset the review did not give an accurate picture of how they viewed the Phoenix Centre. It exaggerated the cons rather than the overwhelming pros of the service.

"We all spoke favourably about the programmes run. At no stage were we asked to express our concerns. There was a brief chance at the end to talk about how the service could make improvements. We had huge concerns that the majority of our comments were ignored."

Both the Dunedin Secondary Cluster RTLB and several secondary schools had written letters to the Ministry of Education saying they felt their views had been misrepresented.

Mr Hodgson said there was no doubt in the minds of the education professionals that the service was needed.

"So that logically raises a question. If this service is to close, what will take its place and how is it to be funded?"

Mr Hodgson understood the centre was funded by both the Ministry of Education and by each secondary school jointly.

"It is imperative that the ministry funding be made over to the principals so that they might plan a replacement service.

"And I mean all of the funding. For example, if there are sunk costs in any long-term contract for the Forth St site, they must be borne by the ministry as it is they who have decided to terminate Phoenix."

Mr Hodgson said it was "deeply troubling" that the Government was contemplating a closure of the facility at the same time as it was opening boot camps for wayward teenagers.

"It is precisely services such as Phoenix that play a preventive role, and return at least some of these young folk back on to the rails."

Ministry of Education deputy secretary Special Education Nick Pole said the ministry would put funding from the Phoenix Centre and additional money from the new Positive Behaviour for Learning initiative into better parent support, teacher training and development programmes, and a whole school programme which would look at practices and initiatives around at-risk pupils.

He said funding would also be put into an intensive wraparound service for pupils who had severe and challenging behaviour. This support would allow pupils to stay at their school and get a mixture of one-on-one and group monitoring support.

"The Phoenix Centre, as it stands, is taking kids out of their school to be taught new bad behaviours. It's not an environment where they would be surrounded by good role models.

"If they are at school, there are more strong role models around them."

- john.lewis@odt.co.nz