Children are 50 times more likely to suffer abuse when unrelated adults are living in their home, advocacy group Child Matters has warned.
Child Matters spokeswoman Amanda Meynell told the New Zealand Herald international research shows children living in households with unrelated adults are nearly 50 times as likely to die of inflicted injuries.
The recent charging of Matthew Ellery for the death of six-month-old Serenity Jay Scott-Dinnington has highlighted the so-called ‘Cinderella Syndrome’. Ellery was the partner of the infant’s mother.
Ms Meynell said when unrelated adults share the home, the attachment to the child is “not so great” and the risk of abuse increases.
“They don't have the relationship, they may not have been there since birth with that child and so they pose a greater risk,” she said.
Parents should exercise common sense and caution when leaving their children around people they don’t know well, Ms Meynell said.
“We're not just talking about step-parents… boarders, friends, anyone that you have that's not related to that child.
“Be really careful about that, make sure that you believe that that's a safe person to be around children.”
3 News