Oh dear, some of you know I am onto D.V. issues (and other social issues) and how the department operates/ responds to it all. Well the other day I am sitting in the lunch room and a colleague was very distressed. Apparently her partner is depressed and drinks (typical male) to cope and of course he becomes verbally abusive (I could write the script for these stories). Apparently she hung in that relationship for some time (typical female thinking situation will change) so eventually she cannot take it any longer. Takes out a DVO, then gets the police to act on it and remove the male. The story then
goes on as the police now always do the mandatory reporting thing to docs and as this is a D.V. case; PRESTO the child is now taken directly into foster care as docs state that female is not acting in a protective manner even though she says she always took the child away if the male was getting abusive and now has taken steps to get a DVO out on this male.
Yep, docs chalk up another kids for statistics (more funding please).
So right now as you read this, this poor kid is in FOSTER care and not placed within family and I think the female has no contact with child.
AND then this female rings around a whole bunch of solicitors who say something to the effects of 'forget it docs have made their decision, it's not worth it, unless you want to pay out $5000 up front'. (See the solicitors know how fruitless it is to get legal representation against this docs machine.)
Female says that docs have made a stressful situation now more stressful for the child. It was bandied around the lunch table that is 'not in the best interests of the child'.
THEN the icing on the cake was when the psychologist person disclosed that docs took his children into foster care last year. He said they were twisting facts and information that he was not willing and not able to look after the children. He said it is all process and not in the children's interests.
FAR OUT I thought I was the only mental health professional (mandatory reporter) that had children removed but now it looks like this cancer in society has absolutely no boundaries. So docs are attacking staff in other organisations that it is supposed to be working with. No wonder WE ALL are highly suspicious of docs. Just ask welfare workers what they think of docs and we all tell the same story.
Anyway SOON docs workers will be taking children off their own colleagues. I don't think this is too far fetched.
docs are operating just as the states government allows them in No transparency, no accountability, no professionalism, and well,who cares really as docs are untouchable.
Is this what the government is aiming to achieve with their child protection act 1999?
And I once said to stop the discrimination - why don't docs take every child at birth and then make all the parents fight and spend their hard earned savings (remortgage your house like I had to) fighting the docs machine in court.
Why don't the government put every child into foster care, including their own.
We could start with your grandchildren, nieces and nephews Margaret Keech.
Because due to docs false allegations and their style of one sided investigations it shouldn't be too hard to make sure that every child born into the state of Queensland is deemed a child at risk.

What - you think I am nuts? Ha, I am a well respected and well trained mental health professional in this state.