The panel, which advises the Social Development Ministry chief executive, may soon be replaced by an independent authority after a review by former Police Commissioner Howard Broad, announced this month.
Panel members upheld 12 complaints in full and another 21 in part. Only seven complaints were not upheld. It has paid compensation to eight families totalling $75,000.
But Greymouth advocate Graeme Axford, who obtained the data under the Official Information Act, said the panel's processes were too slow and it was still not genuinely independent.
"By the time you have been to the end of the complaints process, yes 80% have been upheld, but it's too late because you can't retrospectively fix the issues that led you to have to go there, so it's really like a slap on the hand with a wet bus ticket," he said.
Wanganui caregivers Angela and Grant Rogerson were awarded $10,000 compensation for not getting adequate support from Child, Youth and Family during a four-year campaign against them by a mother whose two children CYF had placed in their care.
They were awarded another $5000 for breach of privacy when CYF gave the mother documents detailing unproven allegations against them.
But Mrs Rogerson said the mother's campaign cost them $700,000 by driving customers away from Mr Rogerson's computer business, forcing him to close the business after 20 years. Mrs Rogerson also had to give up her job managing a motel and stopped working as a caregiver.
A central North Island grandmother was awarded $7500 compensation after a three-year struggle to get legal care of her grandson, but is appealing to the Ombudsman because she had to give up her job and move to the South Island, where her grandson lived. Her daughter, the boy's mother, lived with a partner who assaulted the boy.
"When I first got my grandson I was told he was not allowed to see my daughter," she said.
"How are you supposed to have a relationship with your daughter and your grandson when they are not even allowed to see each other?"
Family First director Bob McCoskrie said the Government should create a genuinely independent CYF complaints authority immediately, without awaiting Mr Broad's report.
"The evidence shows that CYF is making mistakes," he said.
A spokeswoman for Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said Mr Broad would conduct the review alone, but would consult others as part of the process. He will report by next June.
