Hi,

here is an extract from my complaint to the various government departments (no response back in over past 12 months now - except that an independent investigation has occured) and also from my original journal back in 2006 whilst docs were reigning over my families' lives -

"... 12 March - I go over to my friend's house where there are 2 work collegues there as well at that time.
I finally tell them about what is going on in my lives.
My long time work colleague and friend is blown away and said 'gees, if they cantake your child off you, then they can take any child off anyone.'
We ring another work colleauge who is a social worker, she tells me that I need to have a good legal representation.
Wow, they didn't get angry or cease to be my friends. Tehy didn't go behind my back.They really supported me through this process. I know I have made life long friends.

13 March - I phone my solicitor and they have not received the order for the extension in a 2nd month. The court session is the next day.

I speak with CSO X on the phone. I asked how long will this go on for? CSO X said 'how long is a piece of string'.

CSO X said my child was not to go to the YMCA daycare mother's anymore as he was now in a situation where he didn't need to go to childcare (there are other children in this foster house).

CSO X also informed me that scan is now involved in my case.

14 March - court again.
We (my solicitor) asks the magistrate if my child can go back to the maternal Aunty's.Incidentally docs write that my sister and her family has been sick. (Docs do not know what actually transpired whilst my child was in her care for that first month.)
Judge said that should not be an issues as 'it was in the spirit of the act'.
We also asked could my child go back to his daycare mother as was his usual routine. I thnk the judge said something about this being a housekeeping matter that could be resolved without the judge's involvement.
In docs form 6 the CSO X writes again that I have unmanaged mental health issues which places the child at risk of physical harm from me.
Again SCO X wrote this without any backing from the medical profession. It was the CSO's diagnosis of me.

Later that same afternoon I ring the ombusdsen office and start looking at channels in which I can process a complaint.

March 16 - my first access visit at the departmental playgroup. Mum comes withme. As docs never asked me about my child's routine I had typed up a document outlining about child's routine and foods child eats.

Thursday 16.3.06
Today I woke around 0700. Last night it really did take me 2 hours to get to sleep. I lie there worrying about this whole issue. I think I was getting antsy about seeing child today and hoping it all would be ok.
I took my dog for a brief walk and came back and got ready. I also packed a chocolate milk drink in one of child's blue bottles, some grapes,packet of dried aprictos, cut cubes of cheese, ham and crackers.
I collected mum fro the train station at 0930 as previously planned. Whilst I waited I got a train time table. Mum arrived as she said she would. I then drove us to the Mermaid Beach Community Centre. Last night I did a pre-run in the car of where to go around 7.30pm at night. I didn't want to be late.
We got there around 10.00am on the dot. I was getting anxious and walked in front of mum. I apologised to her that I was maybe being slightly irritable. She said she understood. Mum was trying to tell me it was in the park but I knew and could see it was in the community hall.
I walked into the community hall and asked them if this was where the departmental playgorup was. Some woman introduced herself to me but I now forgot her name. I place my backpack and little esky down. Mum was in the room now behind me. The moari woman said child shold be here by nowl I mumbed to mum something like I hope child isn't sick and no one has informed us not to come. (I just coudln't bear it to think I wasn't going to see child and if there would be some hiccup.)
I went outside to look in the red bus to see if child was in there. No. I looked around and then saw child walking up a path with another indiginous largish woman. I yelled out child's name and ran to him with my arms outstretched. Child started running toward me too. He was wearing long cotton pants and t-shirt with his orange bibby on th etop of his t-shirt like the proper way to war a bib. I hugged him and mumbled something like I have missed you and I love you. I pulled bibby off him and gave it to him to hold. I walked and hugged and carried him all at the same time.
Inside I sat on an adult sized chair and gave child the chocolate millk to drink. He guzzled it.I then said I have other food for yo and laid out a mornig tea smorgasboard of the foods I brought along.
Child ate and ate and ate.
basically child ate until 10.45am.
The woman supervising was sitting and watching and observing. I eyed her at times to see hwo supervised all of us 'unfit parents'.
Mum sat near us and let me do most of the interacting with child. Child didn't want to run and look at the toys but let me read lots of books to child. Child was now sitting on a child sized chair and I sat on the floor beside and read.
Somewhere in all this I filled up the blue water bottle for child. Mum and I mentioned toeach other how child had been sent wihtout any water bottle, hat, food or change of clothes. Mum said how dirty this (transistional object i.e. comforter) bibby was. I also scanned child for marks on child. Child's fingernails were quite long. I made a mental note to bring some scisors to cut them next week. Child showed me where child had a scab on child's knee from falling over. An oldish mark, definetely not fresh. Child decided that child wanted the cold pack from the esky on child's knee. I let child fiddle around and do this.
I gave child a full water bottle. every time I got up to go to the esky or tap cyhild came with me and held my hand.
Child did a wee around 11.00am.
We did look at what was in the toy box. Pretended to be on the phone to each other. Flipped up some toy with lots of lids.
apparently whilst I was lying on the floor mum said some photographer came in and took photos of some people and then left. I was totally unaware this happened until afterwards when mum told me.
Then I did a drawing and child played with the blunt metal scissors. Child had to pretend to cut my findernails and toenails and my piggy-tail. Child cut the paper. Child raised it's voice in frustration briefly when I tried to help child by tearing the last bit that wouldn't cut. Child then tore a bit too to achieve the desired outcome.
Then mum joined us and played play-dough. The other kids ran around iwth their parents. Child stayed with me and did activities that didn't need large actions of moving around the room. We all had fun playing cooking with the playdough and then pretended to eat our cooking and talked about what ingredients were in them, along with other conversation about this cooking game. I asked child if he needed to do another wee closer to 12md. Child said 'no'.
All up child drank 600mls of water. That was 1,200mls of fluids in total for the 2 hours.
Somewhere after this I handed the supervising woman a typed outline about child's routine to hand to the foster mum. I also wrote what child had eaten and ddrunk in my presence. I asked via letter to send child with water bottle in future. I hand wrote out my landline number on it too. In the mena time mum started pushing child around the play car. I joined in the game andpretended child was going to run over me and I was jumping out of the way.
At around 3 minutes to 12md I noticed everyone had left. Mum was saying we have to go. I mnoticed the woman looking at me whilst she stood facing me and standing in the doorway. I said something like 'time to go?'. She didn't nod but stared at me. I quickly said to child that he had to go back to where he was staying. I told child again that I loved child. I said you will come home soon, but need to stay there a little bit longer.
Child didn't want to hold my hand as he awalked out. Child mentioned that child wanted to hold grandma's hand instead. I could see child knew what was about to happen. The moari man was putting all the other kids into the bus. The woman who stared at me just previously was now sitting in the driver's seat. I quitely siad this is so wrong to mum. The man strapped in child. Child was looking around at the inside roof lining of the van so not to make eye contact with me. Child sicked child's thumb and bibby. The man said 'don't kiss child goodbye'. I said but I want to give child the blue water bottle. Child now went to the foster home with orange bibby plus another bibby and a water bottle.
As they drove off I blew kisses to child as child now looked at me.
How do you process this when you are 3 years old?
I excused myself to mum and said I am probably about to cry. Mum said 'I know'.
Then I howled. Mum and I collapsed on each other and cried. After about a 15 second catharsis mum and I recomposed ourselves. A woman then started talking to us. She started to tel her story. She said she saw chld's father in court on Tuesday and was here at play group lat Thursday. She said he was upset and crying in front of child and everytime she saw him. I thought poor father.

Mum and I then dove back to my place. We had a burger from the corner shop. Later we sat around my dining table and talked tings over.

I drove mum to catch the train back to Brisbane.

I came home and firstly rang a Brisbane docs office to question about -
1. Policy and procedures re: parenting access visits if reunification is the goal.
2. Is 70yo too old to be deemed a kinship carer.
3. Are most cases handed over to the SCAN team.
4. Is it ideal for a child who is placed to a foster carer with the aim of reunification to be stopped from attending child's daycare mum on child's allocated days as per usual child's routine. Is is right to completely alienate child from usual surroundings.
Well of course they didn't want to tell me this and steered me back to the manager for my area. Someone called ... did tell me that 70yo was not too old to be kinship carer. I asked are these valid question and they said yes.
The Brisbane docs worker said on the phone to me to search the net.

I then rang docs office and asked to speak to CSO X who was unavailable adn then to her manager who also was unavailable. I left a message for both to ring me: this was around 3pm thursday 16.3.06. I have a list of questions to ask CSO X.

I then left (answering machine on as usual).

Then I raced into Coles and bought some stationary needs.

I came home. At 4.45pm there were no messages from anyone on my answering machine. I then rang docs and tried 1 more time for CSO X. Not available. The manager of that branch was also not available.

Because I could not get onto any of the docs people at the office I dealt with I ended up making a complaint to the afterhours child abuse line. I said I had concerns that my child was not properly being cared for in foster care and cited my concerns. (my concerns proved correct).

20 March - CSO X returns my phone cal. I ask if I can have more access visits. She said 'no, due to the department being stretched'.
CSO X also sadi now that even if the doctor wrote a report in my favour it does not mean child gets to come home. CSO X said this will go to court again 11 April.
CSO X now changed and said it just wasn't mum's age that decided that chid could not be in her care. CSO X said (that father in different state NSW - 200km away from the queensland boader)
was the frist choice for child to be with. She said that they were checking out if father is suitable to have chid as the interim carer. I asked CSO X if she had rung my sister to see if she could have child back as the judge had said this could happen as 'it is in the spirit of the act'; she hadn't...."


I think that is enough typing for one night. The story goes on to worse stuff. I was crying again whilst I wrote and again re-lived in my mind the horrors of my child in foster care and being driven away. I clearly explain how children become detached whilst in foster care. these docs workers were very scheming. Can you work out what branch I am talking about?
And excuse any typos I was trying to belt it out to hurry up.
Regards.