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Agency plans to send 4yo girl back to abusive mum
CHILD Safety is working to reunite a family despite a shocking bashing by a pot-smoking, violent mother that left her four-year-old daughter with brain injuries.
The injured girl’s younger sister, 3, was also put into care after physical and verbal abuse from the mother.
The department’s plan is for “reunification” despite officers admitting if the violence continued both sisters “might need to go to hospital or be killed”.
Department cultural policies first came into question in March when the older girl, then in foster care, was admitted to Gold Coast University Hospital with a fractured skull and brain injury. The Bulletin understands the mother and daughter had been “reunited’’ a few months before the assault for unsupervised visits.
The girl’s face was covered in bruises and department officers feared she “might not talk or walk again”.
CHILD Safety is working to reunite a family despite a shocking bashing by a potsmoking, violent mother that left her four-year-old daughter with brain injuries.
The injured girl’s younger sister, 3, was also put into care after physical and verbal abuse from the mother, who drove dangerously with the child in her car.
The department’s plan is for “reunification” despite officers admitting if the violence continued both sisters “might need to go to hospital or be killed”.
Department cultural policies first came into question in March when the older girl, then in foster care, was admitted to Gold Coast University Hospital with a fractured skull and brain injury.
The Bulletin understands the mother and daughter had been “reunited’’ a few months before the assault for unsupervised visits.
The girl’s face was covered in bruises, there was a noticeable imprint from being hit and department officers feared she “might not talk or walk again”.
Court documents confirm the 21-year-old mother was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm. She pleaded guilty in Beenleigh Court and was put on probation for two years, effective from August 3.
The Bulletin has seen documents that show a “case plan” by the department for the injured girl’s younger sister is for “reunification” of the indigenous family. Departmental notes show the mother “received lots of help between 2012 and 2016 but despite this (her older daughter) was hurt very badly in the time she was in (the mother’s) care”.
“Given that (the mother) has already had a lot of help, it is unknown what intervention could be provided to keep (the older daughter) and (younger daughter) safe,” the report says.
The mother agreed to an intervention with parental agreement (IPA) so she could resume contact with her younger daughter, but by June she had not been required to have drug testing while still trying to contain her pot habit. It is understood a recent case plan required drug testing.
The three-year-old daughter, when in care of her mother, came under the watch of the department after being seen to have “bruising and extreme nappy rash”.
The department received reports the mother was “verbally and physically abusive to her, was smoking bongs and had driven dangerously while (the daughter) was in the car”.
The younger daughter continues to have two hours of family contact with her mother three times a week, supervised by the department.
In the future working plan, a child safety officer wrote: “If the (mother) continues to do these things to (the older daughter) and (younger daughter) they might need to go to hospital or be killed.”
However, the feedback was the contact with the younger daughter had been “positive” as she saw not only her mother but other relatives. The mother had set a personal goal of “reducing her use of pot” even though the department could not determine if this would help protect the children.
“Everyone knows the reasons why (the mother) gets angry and hurts people and that she is receiving help to ensure it doesn’t happen in the future,” the report says.
Police sources have questioned the resources available to keep a watch on kids in danger and admit the department, in indigenous cases, has a policy of trying to reunite families.
“There is an issue there with reuniting parents with indigenous children. The reality is reuniting is one thing, but you need to have back-up resources to conduct checks on it,” a police source said.
Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates in March warned the department about a reunification “at all costs” policy. “It’s high time the department stopped crossing their fingers and toes over kids they know who are at risk and place them with someone who will love them, not hurt them,” she said.
Child Safety Minister Di Farmer said it was complex.
“I am confident the department is acting appropriately to ensure the safety of these children remains the highest priority,’’ she said.
A department spokesman said reunification was a goal when it was safe for the child and the parents were “able and willing’’. This included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.