The Government’s White Paper for Vulnerable Children is a good start but the College of Nurses strongly supports the analysis made by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO). We agree that there is too much focus on the problem and not nearly enough attention to the deep set underlying and long standing reasons for that problem.

We are astounded that there is little mention of the role of nurses in the prevention, identification and interventions suggested for vulnerable children. Professor Jenny Carryer notes that there are nurses at virtually every single health interface with children and families.

Nursing has a long history of working proactively with children and families through Plunket, public health, primary health care and Tamariki Ora roles and a genuine strengthening and building of these positions would make a significant contribution.

We are very tired of the repetitive failure of Governments to recognise the potential of the enormous nursing workforce and to empower that professional group to use its full potential.