Saturday, January 31, 2015

Child Protection Party

For some time I have pondered how to change practice within child protection but after having met with the CEO of Families SA and realised that he was not interested in what others had to say or even willing to listen to the issues I and others presented it became evident that we needed to think differently about the problem. In essence, the problem is that children are not best served by the current practice methods. The reality is that children are not served well in this country. If you come from a violent and abusive family, if there is a an alcohol or drug problem, if you are uneducated, if you are unemployed or on a benefit, if you are physically and/or mentally challenged, you are at risk of having your children removed. If you have been in care you are likely to have your children removed. If you are a child living within these environments you are likely to be abused. If you are seen as part of the lower or underclass you are likely to have some contact with the Child Protection System. It is for these reasons that the Child Protection Party has been established.
It has always concerned me that the power differential between those who control the Child Protection System and those who are subjugated to it is extreme. The emphasis on removing children rather than working with the families and solving the problem creates a power struggle which the children and parents are not going to win. The Child Protection Party’s aim is to change that imbalance so that those with the least amount of power can demand better services, more effective interactions with workers and better outcomes for their children.
I have read many articles on the virtues of a range of practice models which may implement some change but I rarely see a practice model which is based on feedback and ideas from parents and care leavers. Yet the information is available which tells us that no matter what model is used, the outcomes are generally poor. I believe that without a fervent desire to help parents and children, without the commitment to maintain family contacts and without the commitment towards re-unification any system or practice model will fail.
I understand that there will be parents who will not have the desire to make changes in their lives, there will be children who will have to be removed and never returned to their parents, there will be children who will die at the hands of their parents and there will be children who will be abused while in care. We will never eradicate bad parenting and we will never eradicate family violence but there is plenty of room to make a significant difference.
It is important that as a community we work to ensure that children are safe. It is important that we have conversations which focus on the well-being of children. To this point Child Protection Services have not demonstrated that they have an investment in public education concerning primary health care. It is a little like the police not being interested in community policing or not being interested in limiting the number of road deaths. Prevention is about education and creating a drive to change the way the community thinks about child protection.
I find it sad though, that many clients have turned to Child Protection Services to help them when they have been struggling only to find they have been punished for doing so by having their children removed. How different would it be if a parent realised that drugs, domestic violence and mental health issues were inhibiting the way they were parenting and they knew that contacting Child Protection Services would help them. They know they would be connected with social workers who will work with them and keep them and their children safe without removing them, or offer them respite while they worked through their problems. How different would it be if we could work peacefully with families so they knew that they wouldn’t have to go through court or be threatened with orders which would take their children permanently from them. What a difference that would make?  In a caring, humane society that is what we should be offering. That is the sort of community the Child Protection Party believes is our right.
I read report after report which can identify the demographic which is at risk but can not convince governments to implement the policies which will bring about change. The body of evidence is there but the will is not.
I have never seen an advertisement highlighting the need to provide a healthy environment for children. How about an advertisement advertising the help that will be offered by Child Protection Services if you are struggling and you want to talk to someone about the issues that sit in your life. Wouldn’t it be great if a person would visit you in your home and begin working with you to work through the issues that have caused you to feel depressed or overwhelmed? Wouldn’t it be great just to have someone who believed in you? If we were able to have that degree of confidence in CPS we would have redefined what Child Protection means.
The Child Protection Party is your voice for change.
Contact us at admin@childprotectionparty.org and 0414883153








5 comments:

  1. Tony, I appreciate with your policies and also wants to establish the party in each state and territory. As we are going through the same child protection issues, I welcome your initiatives. The following key policies are important for the best interests of the children and their family. This will help to protect our children from strangers and abusers.

    KEY POLICIES:

    * Uniform child protection policies across Australia

    * An independent body overseeing child protection

    * Mandatory registration of social workers

    * The abolition of residential care homes for children

    * An independent adoption board of professionals and experts

    * Mandatory abuse prevention education in schools

    * More scrutiny of and support for foster parents

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rabvi. The Child Protection Party support all of your suggestions. Register with us at www.childprotectionparty.com .

      Delete
  2. I had one of my two children removed from my care by families as.

    This was all because I took my child to hospital as I noticed she was loosing weight, because I called the homeless gateway as the landlord stuffed us over coz we paid cash and he refused to give receipts, all because I wanted help with my post natel depression and coz I used drugs as a coping mechanisms and was looking for alternative ways to deal with the stress of all this they took my child from me.

    They wanted me to do a parenting physiological assessment as it said in the court papers. I've questioned them as to when I'm meant to attend this appointment and there response was that department at the women's and children's hospital that does these assessments said that they do not want to do this therapeutic work with me as they think I'm an unfit mother. Mind u they have never met or had any appointments with me.

    I have made complaints about the career that has my child. I would get bottles for her to drink from that we're filthy (taken photos), and just recently at my monthly 1 hour visit with my child as I changed her nappy she had three big blisters because of a nappy rash and the shoes that she had on were a size to small to the point she had to curl her toes to wear them. I showed and told the supervisor about this. But I can garentee u that when the case goes back to court that none of this will be mentioned.

    My child had been placed with someone that has asperger and doesn't know how to pick up on emotions and struggles to express their own. I have evidence that he asks anyone and everyone to look after my child by people that she has never met before so he can go out drinking. He hads taken her out on freezing cold nights to parties until 3am (have evidence of this too) and yet nothing has been done about this.

    Even with all the evidence like photos that i have taken and screenshots of photos from facebook families sa say that stuff from Facebook can not be used as evidence. Yet he is able to use a few status that I put up on facebook about me and my partner as evidence and is placed into affidavit for court.

    I've had to do random drug tests, and when tested one day healthscope couldn't collect or test the sample because it had small blood clots in the sample families sa put it down as a positive and said I tamerped with the sample. Mind u these tests are monitored by the collection agenciesas (and signs in the bathrooms of health scope notify you about this with cameras one in front of the toilet and one above the toilet looking from behind). in one of the affidavit families sa contridict themselves saying that healthscope said I tamerpered with the sample, then write that their department thinks I tamerpered with the sample. How can they say that it's a positive test for drugs when families sa stated that healthscope could not test the "blood tainted urine". If health scope or families sa thought that I tampered with the sample wouldn't they send the sample away for analysis and considering u are watched while giving samples.

    Can you please help me or give me some advice about any of this. I've gone through 3 lawyers in just under 2 years and they have removed themselves from my case as families sa lawyers would always abject everytime my lawyers stands to speak and give the judge evidence about the issues raised above.

    Please help.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had one of my two children removed from my care by families as.

    This was all because I took my child to hospital as I noticed she was loosing weight, because I called the homeless gateway as the landlord stuffed us over coz we paid cash and he refused to give receipts, all because I wanted help with my post natel depression and coz I used drugs as a coping mechanisms and was looking for alternative ways to deal with the stress of all this they took my child from me.

    They wanted me to do a parenting physiological assessment as it said in the court papers. I've questioned them as to when I'm meant to attend this appointment and there response was that department at the women's and children's hospital that does these assessments said that they do not want to do this therapeutic work with me as they think I'm an unfit mother. Mind u they have never met or had any appointments with me.

    I have made complaints about the career that has my child. I would get bottles for her to drink from that we're filthy (taken photos), and just recently at my monthly 1 hour visit with my child as I changed her nappy she had three big blisters because of a nappy rash and the shoes that she had on were a size to small to the point she had to curl her toes to wear them. I showed and told the supervisor about this. But I can garentee u that when the case goes back to court that none of this will be mentioned.

    My child had been placed with someone that has asperger and doesn't know how to pick up on emotions and struggles to express their own. I have evidence that he asks anyone and everyone to look after my child by people that she has never met before so he can go out drinking. He hads taken her out on freezing cold nights to parties until 3am (have evidence of this too) and yet nothing has been done about this.

    Even with all the evidence like photos that i have taken and screenshots of photos from facebook families sa say that stuff from Facebook can not be used as evidence. Yet he is able to use a few status that I put up on facebook about me and my partner as evidence and is placed into affidavit for court.

    I've had to do random drug tests, and when tested one day healthscope couldn't collect or test the sample because it had small blood clots in the sample families sa put it down as a positive and said I tamerped with the sample. Mind u these tests are monitored by the collection agenciesas (and signs in the bathrooms of health scope notify you about this with cameras one in front of the toilet and one above the toilet looking from behind). in one of the affidavit families sa contridict themselves saying that healthscope said I tamerpered with the sample, then write that their department thinks I tamerpered with the sample. How can they say that it's a positive test for drugs when families sa stated that healthscope could not test the "blood tainted urine". If health scope or families sa thought that I tampered with the sample wouldn't they send the sample away for analysis and considering u are watched while giving samples.

    Can you please help me or give me some advice about any of this. I've gone through 3 lawyers in just under 2 years and they have removed themselves from my case as families sa lawyers would always abject everytime my lawyers stands to speak and give the judge evidence about the issues raised above.

    Please help.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Nicole. It sounds like you need some solid advocacy. If you care to call me on 0414883153 I can arrange that for you.

    ReplyDelete