Principals are disappointed in the response from Te Roopu Kimiora (Child Mental Health Services) to their serious concerned about the effectiveness of the service offered,” said Pat Newman, President of the Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association.

Research by the Principals Association showed that 70% of Principals in Te Tai Tokerau gave the service a negative rating.

“I would suggest,” said Pat Newman, “that Mr McKenzie Northland DHB Manager for these services, would be better spending time looking into why principals say that his service is too bureaucratic in referrals, under resourced for the actual need, unresponsive and untimely in service with poor communications, than by perfectly demonstrating these in action in his response, to our concerns  printed in the Northern Advocate!”

“At the end of the day, we don’t care whether the service is funded for 3% of the population. It obviously is underfunded and under resourced to cover the actual needs of the area” he said.

The DHB needs to look at how to fund the required level of help, how to make it more responsive and just as importantly, how to get the service out more into the community rather than the other way around.

Principals don’t feel this way for no reason. The why, is the important question for Mr McKenzie and the DHB.

Pat Newman

President of te Tai Tokerau Principals Association

[232 WORDS]