Australian ‘foster’ mother under investigation in Bali missing

 Meanwhile the children, aged between seven and nine, were returned to their birth parents on Monday.

 

The children had been cared for by the Jodie O’Shea Orphanage in Denpasar after members of a church that had been financially assisting Ms Deane raised concerns about the children’s welfare earlier this year.

On the website, The Denise Deane story, – since taken down – Ms Deane said she was the foster parent of three Indonesian children who were at a very high risk of being sold to child traffickers.

“I have written legal agreements with each birth parent stating that I am responsible for their child until they are 18 years of age,” Ms Deane said.

She said she was denied a pension in Australia because she lives in Indonesia and asked on the website for donations or practical assistance to help raise the children.

A report from a member of a church committee that had been assisting Ms Deane, obtained by Fairfax Media, said she had concerns about the children’s welfare.

Fairfax Media understands Bali police and Australian Consulate-General in Bali have a copy of the report.

The report, dated July 2, 2015, said the children had been declined school entry for the next school year because Ms Deane had not produced the necessary paperwork, there was a lack of nutritious food, the children were repeatedly sick, lacked healthy social skills and the two girls had special needs that were not being met.

“Many times she has told us at church that she doesn’t have food for the week,” the report says.

The church member said she had visited Ms Deane one time after she requested food.

“It was mid day. The children had not had anything to eat. When we walked in there was human dung (poop) all over the floor,” the report says.

“Denise is quick to swing at the children and hit them when acting up at the house. When I first started visiting the children, they would flinch or pull away.”

However Nyoman Masni​, the head of child protection services in Bali, told Fairfax Media there was no sign of the children being mistreated in any way and they seemed close to Ms Deane.

She said the two girls had special needs and showed signs of hyperactivity but there was no sign of abuse.

Ms Masni said Sari Iskawari​ from the Jodie O’Shea Orphanage had reported the case to child protection services.

“She raised concerns that she heard … that an elderly Australian woman is not able to financially care for three young children. The church usually donated her some money but they stopped,” Ms Masni said.

A mediation meeting was held on September 7, attended by Ms Deane, two of the birth parents, child protection services and Ms Iskawari.

“The result of the mediation was that even though the birth parents agreed to let [Ms Deane] care for their children she can no longer financially support them. The birth parents will take their child back and raise them as their own. The birth parents signed a statement letter to this fact.”

Ms Masni said the children were temporarily placed in the ​ ​orphanage from September 8 until the parents could officially take them. The handover had been scheduled for last week until news broke of the police investigation.

Ms Masni said child protection services had been shocked to learn of the police involvement.

“Because from the start, [Ms Deane] never intended to adopt the children, just foster them. She just didn’t know, and nobody told her, she is not qualified and can’t be a foster mother because the same strict rules apply as adoption.

“We believe [Ms Deane’s] intention was only to care for the children, she cried the whole meeting. She used a whole box of Kleenex alone that day. She really loved those kids.”

However orphanage founder Alison Chester said all three of the children showed obvious signs of abnormal behaviour.

“The two girls in particular have apparent special needs as they are having significant difficulty with speech and basic communication skills,” she said.

Ms Chester said the boy would stay on at the orphanage despite Monday’s handover to the birth parents and the orphanage also hoped to be able to continue to assist with the two girls.

The birth parents have been asked to stay in Bali until the completion of the police investigation.

Ms Deane did not wish to speak to Fairfax Media when contacted last week. On Monday a message on her phone said the number was “not active”.”