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RE: Advice for parents dealing with the child protection services

johnnydontdance — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 14:11:00 GMT

I am sorry but Docs just do not up and remove children from loving homes. It does not happen. Before they remove a child, a report has to be made. Most reports are not acted upon alone, but a file will be created for that report. If a few reports are made then the case is reviewed and on the evidence of the reports a decision is made to investigate or not. If there is a risk of immediate and serious harm the children will be removed for safety reason while and investigation takes place. This system is not perfect and there are mistakes, gaps and even missrepresentation, but unfortuately it is the best we have at the moment.

In the case of Luke, it is terrible to hear that he died while in foster care and as such some level of blame must be aimed towards the carer at the time. To go off tangent and blame the system is wrong. It is obvious that he was removed from you and and his mothers care because of drug use and abuse. Full credit to you for cleaning your act up for 6+ months but where was that urgency to do that when he was still in your care? Where was the nurturing, loving and safe environment that should have been afforded to him when he came into this world? I am sorry but a hefty portion of the blame must be carried by you and your ex for the passing of your son. It is a heavy burden to carry but unfortunately it is the facts that it was the behaviours of the two of you that made him enter into the system in the first place.

RE: Advice for parents dealing with the child protection services

tcmumto3 — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:26:58 GMT

My experience is not of my own, but of a neighbour who had her 5yr old son removed by DoCS & the worst of it was that one of the tenants in my block claimed to be a DoCS worker, spouted she had arranged the removal of the boy, and she told me this before I even knew that the boy was gone .. when my partner and I checked with the boys mother, it was true..he was removed.

OK. the mom had some issues she was dealing with, but I will swear on a bible, that young boy was the samrtest, healthiest, happiest kid in the neighbourhood, he loved his mom, listened to her .. and she doted on him so much.

The woman (from DoCSW) who arranged all this was a "mad-hatter" ..she herself had mental issues of her own, she and her daughter (who looked more like a tattood man) would drive up our driveway at such speeds, we would always ask them nicely to slow down, kids play in the courtyard just off the driveway .. they would say 'Yes, we will slow down" .. and never do it. The "mad-hatter" even yelled abuse at my partner and myself after we asked her calmly to slow down, she then went to the cops to try and report us .. for what, we don't know .. the police called us back and told us they sent her packing as she had nothing to report and was trouble. I warned my kids to stay away from her at all times.

We advised the mother of the boy of what this "mad-hater" told us, the mother contacted DoCS providing the name of the "mad-hater" .. and literally days later, was advised she could get her sone back .. provided she moved out of the unit she was in and moved elsewhere.

What's interesting, the boy was placed into the care of his grand-ma and uncle of which he has no emotional bond with, the grand-ma is an alcoholic and the uncle is gay, and the boy shares the same bed as the gay uncle .... so how does that affect the boy !!!

DoCS are not her to help, they are here to destroy families .... and the staff believe they are God, they certainly act like it.

RE: Advice for parents dealing with the child protection services

rachannie — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:05:20 GMT

AT LONG LAST... SOMEONE WHO KNOWS. SOCIAL WORKERS DESTROY LIVES. MY STORY IS SO LONG I HAVE BEEN TO HELL N BACK. IM AN ADDICT, IM ON ZOMORPH NOW LAST 6 YEARS. OMG PEOPLE JUST DONT C HOW HARD WE TRY , THEY GET THERE HANDS ON U N ALL COMMEN SENSE GOES OUT WINDOW. WE HAVE TO PROVE OURSELVES. TRY TO SEEK HELP IS IMPOSSIBLE AS U HAVE TO LIE TO DOCTORS ETC FOR FEAR OF SOCIAL SERVICES TURNING A PLEA 4 HELP INTO AN ADMISSION OF NOT COPING. HOPE WE GET TO CHAT.

RE: Advice for parents dealing with the child protection services

Lukes Army — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 08:22:43 GMT

http://lukesarmy.com/blogs/lukes-dad/department-community-services-holocaust-new-south-wales#comment-692

Even if I was on drugs I would not want my child to be with them. But I wasn't on drugs, I did everything they asked and much more.

http://lukesarmy.com/images/lukes-dad/reference-policeman

I was drug free for six months. I am not responsible for the death of my son, the corrupt government workers are. They have got away with absolutely anything they want for years. And this is what they have achieved.

Fooling the public into always blaming the parents. So many parents have their children wrongly removed, and are coming to me from all over the world, because I am not aftaid to speak up to people like yourselves who have been conned by the governments.

Children are 10 times more likely to die in a foster home than in a home with their parents. The highest age group is four and under, like my Lukey.

Lukey has contributed much to the Child Protection Reform movement, and to educating people on the real issue, corruption within these departments. Don't ask me what they have against people having their kids if they are not abused.

Maybe like yourselves they believe kids are better off dead than being with a parent who used drugs but loved them and never abused them. Stop blaming parents, and start having a look at who is running these departments.

Vindictive women. I am trying to help as many people as I can and I know my son would be proud of me, as I am so proud of him.

I hope you are open minded enough to at least consider this possibility, or my son died for nothing.

http://lukesarmy.com/blogs/lukes-dad/lukes-army-newsletter-no-3

My son was abused by his mother who had a lengthy history with CPS for abuse. I have never abused a child. When I told them that she wiped speed on his nose and burnt a cigarette on his face at one year old, they laughed at me and put him alone in a house they organised for her, and was not there to protect him any more.

I could not have been a better father. Some people aren't on drugs and do horrific things to children, what are you gonna blame that on? Being a man. It's time to stop judging and looking at who is hurting the children the most. Thankyou for giving me the opportunity to answer these questions, Michael.
http://suncanaa.com/in_memory_

RE: Advice for parents dealing with the child protection services

ricky — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:57:39 GMT

It's awful to know that the system is so cracked. Sorry for Luke's passing in such regretable circumstances.

Basically in the first place, as two others have pointed out, if there wasn't so much problems with drug affected parents & child abuse then these agencies wouldn't be under the strain that they are in.

I understand that you feel you were a fit parent to have Luke returned to you, and not knowing the circumstances, I'm sorry that it didn't happen soon enough to prevent his death. I gather there must have been an initual problem & you worked through it.

However, for anyone reading this ... the system is cracked ... It is clear that if more people were taking in foster kids then things would be a lot better. There is nothing worse than talking with foster carers who have wards. Last one I saw recently had one child with a broken arm & leg, and the other had cigarette burns over his body. So, whilst it is sad, immediate removal is sometimes necessary.

RE: Advice for parents dealing with the child protection services

27angie — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:47:15 GMT

you woman havn't ever had any addictions or delt with docs there are not ur friends. i have worked hard to get my children back and i did look at myself. My oldest that i still have trouble with no carer could care for him and he got so angry being in foster care and i got no support at all. it is not a perfect service.

RE: Advice for parents dealing with the child protection services

GeorgiesMum — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:26:13 GMT

I totally agree with you. So many of these parents blame authority but seriously where were they when their kids needed them? shooting up? I would remove a child from druggies as well without any hesitation.

RE: Advice for parents dealing with the child protection services

LukiesMum+1 — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 15:52:11 GMT

I've read a few of your posts and I'm struggling to understand. So don't take this the wrong way, I simply don't get it. If your child was you life how can you undermine that with drugs? How could you be so dependent on them and so selfish to neglect your own child's needs? You place alot of blame in the system, which I can understand, but shouldn't you foot alot of the blame too?

If parents, parented, there would be no need for these authorities and I think it's a real shame that these organisations are needed in the first instance. If my child was placed into the care of one of these organisations, I'd like to think i'd take a long hard look at myself before trying to criticise them. Someone has to act in the best interests of children if their parents won't.

Advice for parents dealing with the child protection services

Lukes Army — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 14:44:35 GMT

Here is some advice, followed by my own views and experiences when dealing with these public servants. If you have never endured their presence, you may be naive as to their intentions, and your children will ultimately pay for your misplaced trust in these social servants. It does not take long to realise you are dealing with bullies, arrogant, and answerable to noone.

Never just hand over your child without being shown paperwork which is signed by a judge. You ask them "Under what authority do you wish to remove this child." They do not have the power to do this, although the police can.

Keep a diary of all meetings and phone calls. Ask for a reference number for every phone call. Also write down the time of the call, the name of the person you have spoken with, and the details of your conversation. If you can, definitely record all phone conversations.

Record all conversations and meetings, as well as noting them down in your diary with the names of the people you spoke with and the details of the conversation.

Do not be so naive as to think that these public servants are automatically authorities or experts when it comes to dealing with children. These departments have a high turnover of employees, so more likely than not you will have an inexperienced worker.

Do not believe that because you know that the allegations which have been made against you regarding your children are false, that you have nothing to worry about. If a disgruntled neighbour, jealous relative, for what ever reason, if a report has been made about you by a person, it will permanently remain on your record. Example....I recently met a father who has tried desparately to have his daughter returnned after a visit supervisor accused him of having an erection during a visit with his daughter(not mentioned at the time, the accusation was made later), with the child's mother present. I have not come across a more kind, gentle soul than this man, and how his life and his daughters life have been torn apart is a tragedy.

Do not expect any help from the DoCS complaints hotline. I rang these people many times, never once did they help. I rang the ministers office. I never stopped trying to get my son back. I went into the DoCS office in Townsville every single day after work to show them I was employed, and I lived with a mother and two children, then a child care worker, then the manager of St Vincent De Paul. Never once did they even consider checking to see if my son should be returned. I even had a reference from a senior police officer. lukesarmy.com/images/lukes-dad/reference-policeman

Do not take it for granted that your solicitor is 100% behind you, or even on your side. Many of these people deal with DoCS daily and form friendships. On top of this, if your solicitor is paid for by legal aid they will not be enthusiastic about representing you, much of the time.

If your child is in foster care, and you notice any injuries, ensure that the visit supervisor records the injury, and take photos yourself, and be sure to record the date and time when the injury was seen by you.

If you are worried about your child being injured while in foster care, contact the commission for children.

Write to the minister for CPS, but you will get more of a response from the shadow minister if you are reporting impropriotries. mistreatment or corruption. You can also write to the ombudsman.

There are numerous groups forming consisting of parents who have nowhere left to turn for help.

Try to keep calm. These people are experts at turning situations around and making reports to ensure that things go they way they intend. If you raise your voice because these people are trying to kidnap your child that you have never abused, they will use this against you. They will claim you have anger management problems.

Do not be disheartened, never ever give up. Remember you are all your child has to protect them from being lost in the system.

The following is a summary of what I have witnessed and experienced with regards to the child protection system in Australia. Please present your opinion regarding these departments, be they positive or negative. I have come across countless cases of families ripped apart by these social workers. Parents who fight for years for the return of children they loved, whom they never abused. My story can be found at lukesamy.com I started Luke's Army after my two year old son was killed in foster care.

I am not assigned to making only negative statements or harassing DoCS workers and foster carers. These people need to be commended, as I believe most are doing what they consider to be the best job they can. How commendable to allow a strangers child into your home, and to treat these children as one of your own. My suggestions for changes which would improve the system can be found at lukesarmy.com/forums/lukes-dad/suggestions-improvements-child-protection-system-australia

I was warned by a friend to be very cautious of the department of child safety (DoCS), which is what the child protection service (CPS) is called in Queensland. It is called the department of community services in NSW, and although the name of these departments may differ in each state, they are all there theoretically to provide the same service. I beleived I had nothing to hide from them, and could not have loved my child more. This makes no difference to the DoCS worker in most instances. I had a visit supervised by a Non Government Organisation (NGO). After the visit the supervisor went straight back to the DoCS office and demanded my child be returned to me as I was an outstanding father.

This decision came down to my reunification team leader, Joe. This woman has hatred etched across her face. Three days before my son received his fatal injury, a fractured skull, I had a meeting with this woman. I asked to have my visits with Luke lengthened. This was part of the reunification process. I was flatly refused, handed a list of rules for visits and told I had raised my voice and the meeting was over. I didn't get a chance to once again request my son be removed from the 74 year old woman who my son was placed with. The old lady already had three older abused children. lukesarmy.com/images/lukes-dad/sunday-mail-article-gavin-king

I believe from my personal experience with several different offfices of DoCS in Queensland, and from the numerous accounts of mistreatment, mismanagement and corrupt, dishonest behavour within this group of public servants throughout Australia that a full investigation into these departments is urgently needed, and overdue by about 50 years.

We had the stolen generation where the natives of Australia were nothing less than kidnapped from their families as infants, at least fifty years ago. Then there are the Forgotten Australians, children removed from their parents and institutionaliesed in cruel asylums run commonly by pedophile priests. The less known groups are the migrant Australians whose children were removed upon arriving in Australia, and the newborn infants born to single mum in the 1960s, removed at birth against the wishes of their mothers.

What is occuring right now is the next onslaught by an untouchable group of public servants who answer to noone. These children who are currently being kidnapped are now known as the "New Stolen Generation by DoCS".

I hope that my comment can be the start of a productive forum. I would like to hear the views of DoCS workers, foster carers, and parents who have dealt with the CPS. Am I being overly distrustful???

Would you trust your children with the department of Child Safety?