Foster Parent Entitlement in Australia

The story starts with the birthmother lying. She kept the birth hidden from her family and abandoned the child. At 36 hours after birth, the daughter was placed with foster parents. It does not appear that any other birthfamily was searched for in the beginning.

At 18 months of age, Child Safety Services asked the foster parents to become permanent guardians.

“But when the girl was 22 months old [in late 2011], a university student on work experience with Child Safety Services tracked down an aunt [of Pacific Island heritage] in north Queensland – a task that seasoned staff could not achieve. The family did not know the girl existed.” says Herald Sun.

“The foster parents, who cannot be named under Queensland law, are fighting to keep their “big brown-eyed girl”.”

“Child Safety arranged for the girl to meet with her aunt 14 times over several months and then ordered she move in with her on June 1 [2012].

The foster parents, who won a stay to keep the girl until a decision is made in September [2012], told The Sunday Mail the girl would be emotionally scarred if she had to leave them, and her life would dramatically change.

“She’s so heavily attached (to us). To pull the rug from under her . . . she will feel abandoned,” they said.

“We pour all our love into her (and) the only identity is the one we created for her. It’s almost like we gave birth to her.” [Ack! The ONLY identity is the one YOU created for her! And no you didn’t “almost” give birth to her.]

They said they were concerned that the aunt may not be a permanent Australian citizen. [Oh great, now you want her deported too!]

The foster parents, who have two other foster children and their own adult children, said they tried to encourage a relationship with the girl and the aunt’s family, but the culture shock and forced overnight visits had proved traumatic.

They said the girl screamed, “No aunty” and had been diagnosed with a separation anxiety disorder. Their GP believes the girl may have been so stressed by the forced contact that she broke out in hives.

They’ve been told they are in for a tough fight because they are white and the girl’s relatives can teach her about her heritage.

The girl’s mother, who originally told Child Safety she did not want her family to know about her baby, still does not want a relationship with her daughter. She is not the primary carer for any of her four children. [I guess they don’t care about the father?]

The foster parent said the aunt told them the girl “belongs to us, to our family”.

The Child Protection Act requires a child’s security and emotional wellbeing be taken into account, and if possible, that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children be with their own. There is no mention of people of Pacific Island heritage.

A spokesman for Child Safety Minister Tracy Davis refused to comment.”

Living with foster parents since she was 36 hours old, two-year-old could soon be forced to leave only family she knows

[Herald Sun 7/29/12 by Renee Viellaris]

Foster parents fighting to keep toddler

[Nine News 7/29/12 by Alys Francis]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

 Why was no real search for bio family done when the child was abandoned? Let’s hope that they do proper searches from now on.