It is too simple to blame parents for their children being
out in the streets at night, those who work with young people
and their families in Dunedin say.
Police Youth Aid officers, staff from social agencies and
legal advisers say most Dunedin parents whose children are
staying out at night and getting into trouble want them to
stay home and be safe.
But many are at their wits' end, or simply do not know how to
keep their child out of trouble.
Very few parents do not care about their children, they say.
Groups of aggressive young people on Dunedin's streets late
on weekend nights recently have prompted residents and police
to raise concerns about the situation.
It was reported in the Otago Daily Times yesterday that a
group of Otago University graduands were assaulted in George
St by a group of teenagers early one recent Saturday.
One of them was taken to Dunedin Hospital with a broken nose,
concussion and a back injury.
Some commentators questioned where the children's parents
were when these incidents were happening.
Otago Youth Wellness Trust practice manager Vicki McDermott
said, in most cases when young people were behaving badly,
there was not one simple reason why that was happening.
Parents sometimes did not have the skills or knowledge to
recognise or deal with those issues.
Young people needed good relationships not only with their
parents but with other people, and it was too simple to
wholly blame the parents of young people for their actions.
"We all have a part to play, whether you are the parent, the
teacher, the person down the street.
"There are multiple layers of responsibility."
Dunedin's Community Law Centre co-ordinator, Caryl O'Connor,
said the centre regularly received calls from parents worried
to the point of desperation because their child was behaving
badly or mixing with an unruly crowd.
"They are desperate to help their children, but are not sure
where to go."
The law centre's advice was usually for parents to approach
other individuals and services for help, including GPs, the
Otago Youth Wellness Trust and the child's school, where
guidance counsellors and deans might be of assistance.
Sometimes, parents just had "to bite the bullet" and contact
Child, Youth and Family, she said.
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