A Waikato based Maori health organisation has welcomed a Government initiative to develop a database of hapu members, with whom children taken from abusive homes can be placed.
It's part of the Government's wider plan to tackle child abuse, outlined in the newly released White Paper on Vulnerable Children.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says a database of pre-approved carers would allow children to be placed within their own hapu without delay.
Te Hauora O Ngati Haua Trust chief executive Darrin Haimona says there can be major delays finding appropriate families.
He says children can be placed three or four times while carers from their hapu or whanau are vetted and approved.
Mr Haimona says traumatised children in temporary placements often can't form relationships or feel in control of their lives.
He says they experience greater stability with families operating within their hapu's own culture and values.
