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Families SA - Child Protection |
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Ann is
deeply concerned by the sheer number of people who have suffered due to
the systematic failure of child protection and Family Law. Parents,
carers and children are finding it hard to remain as an intact family
unit due to a variety of factors such as substance abuse, mental
health, relationship problems, poor parenting, financial pressures and
housing concerns. However, when turning to Families SA for assistance
families often report that their problems are compounded.
Many
families, including Parents, Grandparents and Foster Parents have had
children either forcibly removed from safe environments or left to live
in unsafe environments. Typically, families are destroyed through either forced
legal actions or no appropriate interventions at all.
All too often
when a carer complains or questions Families SA Social Workers about how their
case is being managed and how decisions are being made, the problem
escalates and just as often, turns increasingly
vindictive, spiteful and nasty.
Social Workers' allegations
and claims are almost never able to be challenged in the courts, as
when carers are taken to the Youth or other court jurisdictions, they
are the ones on trial - not Families SA staff! Consequently, the
professional practices in the conduct and management of a child's case
cannot be scrutinised or placed under investigation.
Also, the
South Australian Supreme Court and High Court of Australia have refused
to affirm the notion that the State's child protection authorities owe
a Duty of Care to carers and South Australia's Crown Law officers have,
in fact, argued that the State doesn't even owe the child a Duty of Care.
Key questions that remain unanswered are:
- What are "the best interests of the child"?
- Who makes that determination i.e. the state or family of the child?
- Does the government have a "duty of care" to the families of South Australia?
Following numerous complaints of mistreatment and abuse of
process by Families SA staff, in 2007 Ann established a
Parliamentary Select Committee into
Families SA, which heard from
professionals, both within and outside the system, parents,
extended families, and foster carers. The report, which was
rightfully damning of Families SA, was handed down late in 2009
and can be accessed
here or via the
South Australian Parliament website.
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