I am very deeply concerned at the treatment of some Children in Foster care.
Too at the motives of some carers.
I understand it is far better than institutionalizing them.
But with hands on experience have no regard and no trust for DOCS.
We know, or should in my view, every problem at best gets the best compromise we can put in place.
I cringe to see the deaths and results of brutal treatment we see in our media all to often.
And like it or not,some Children are not born for love and joy a Child brings.
They are born to purchase the big screen TV or car.
And often those kids end up in care, all too often.
No nice way to say this, Children's right to have a happy childhood and given the right chance in live serves us all.
SOME of the carers too look to the cash not the Children.
Nothing matters more, in my view than the way we treat our Children.

Belly,
When i saw the tittle I was immediately reminded of the Kiwi lady who used to post on OLO. I am afraid I cannot recall her name (possible dementure as not unusual these days) but I always enjoyed her postings.

She was a foster mum and had tackled the authorities on many issues regarding the foster care of kids. She had immigrated, with her husband, and i think they lived just north of sydney. I remember she keep some pet eels in a backyard pond. Why can't I remember her pen name. She had looked after many kids and apparently many at a time.

Gutsy too. In NZ some Islanders were harrassing the kids on their way to school, so she escorted them, carrying a cricket bat and put an end to the harrasment.

Maybe you will recall her. Or Graham might as I think he had to delete some of her posts as she spoke her mind on occasions, but she was humourous too. She was expert in all aspects of foster care.

I have faith in you, Lexi and Ludwig to recall.

I remember her well, one of her sign ins was the pied piper, her name Julie, I miss her too.
A diamond in the rough, she had that trouble with letting her e mail out.
She may not like what I am about to say.
First understand I love Kids,no strings nothing but love, and the strange thought I could have done better, with those I once had about me.
I admire todays 30 and under parents, the cuddles and love are not what I got, maybe few of us did.
For this NEXT few lines I take full personal Responsibility.
I like to help, and like especially to help the worse off.
But am appalled at the people claiming to be Aboriginal, who show little evidence of it.
I see Children taken from parents and given to folk who have such backgrounds.
Foster Children come from many races,but I fear are a cottage industry for SOME.
And I See SOME fighting hard to prove/find/manufacture such links.
Then call those kids Little Black %^%&*s.
Docs first takes the blame, who can trust those who place these kids in such homes?
I am sad at the growing number of kids in care, and we must do far better in caring for SOME of them.

a young 20 month year old baby was bashed into a coma while in care of 'family ' in Regional WA late last week.She is still in a coma as far as I know. I suspect its another case of putting culture before kids. Our broken society is producing more dysfunction than ever before. Breakdown of family unit in society has been a major contributing factor. No one will address this because individual rights and indulgence is now more important than society and kids. I see many kids who need to be 'stolen' if they are to have any chance at life. These kids come from drug filled homes of every colour.

I am aware of that runner it was the straw that started this thread.
In part post such as yours are not of help.
I agree something is broken, and that PART of our community, whole community not one part, is broken.
But it is my view we should never blame everyone.
Your post, in my view neglects most kids in care are in the right hands.
Christian or any creed has good people who are doing good.
We just MUST however make it better, last week it was a D O C s worker who never reported the conditions a family lived in,and bad damage followed.
Remember my true story, I always will, of a 13 year old girl placed in care of a D O C s workers cousin, a 23 year old man, who became her lover first night.
I measure us by how we fix such issues.

'In part post such as yours are not of help. ' And your wonderful wisdom Belly?

Runner may I ask that YOU look at your last ten posts?
Do so mate with an open mind, with the question in your heart did I want to say that.
I try avoiding you, hard, you come across as a bigot, if not a bigot very close to it.
And you do so from the shelter of a God I once Worshiped and followed.
He never had the hatred in his heart your every post expresses, anti workers, union, Labor and society, in almost every post.
Are you even a little aware, if I am wrong,you are right, God exists, you defame half his children?
And do you think God would support your view we all are responsible for the problems in Foster care?
The loving Foster parents that turn our thousands of well nourished Children? even leaders of Churches both nourished and nourishing?
We do well in OLO,we contain words and thoughts about just a few, that would do great harm if let loose.
You however run free, insulting who you like, are you so sure Sir your self confidence is not miss placed?
Continued

I very firmly believe every problem can be fixed.
That in dispute resolution we seek achievable results, no certainty's are possible.
First define the problem.
Then look for answers, knowing the best out come will not please every one.
I see the problems this way, our Children are the seeds for tomorrow, not our property but a gift to us.
And that Children in Foster care are no less,but often need more help.
I can put no trust in DOCs, and see Country wide, SOME who seem more interested in the cash than the kids in care.
I could not support any form of institutionalizing Child care.
So what do we do?
Trained accountable experts to randomly visit every child in care.
Random audits of every DOCs office and action.
ALL DOCs heads and district managers on performance based contracts time limited.
One day I will expand on a thought public service can work, if no job is secure, and performance is monitored.

Belly,
Thanks for the reminder of the name. I looked her up and got her last post up. The thread, her thread, was about OLO rules and moderation, etc. She did a naughty thing and Graham suspended her for a few days. Apparently she decided not to come back as she did not want to further erode her relationship with DOCS.

I regarded her as very experienced and knowledgable about foster care, so i relate one thing she said that may interest you.

She felt there is always good and bad people so she concentrated on the system rather than individuals involved in foster care.

Unfortunately we will never entirely eliminate bad parenting, but we can try our best to reduce it. How we do that is the big question.

The Irish experience with institutions and foster care reflects poorly on relying on religion as a safeguard.

Banjo yes thanks for the memory's.
I miss her but in truth, and I told her, she needed to be more careful.
I know we have good and bad in any thing, and underline Church is not the answer.
But considering the toll, double figures in deaths each year, much more in harm, mental and life long some times.
We fail, we should be able to do much better, if only we would stop closing our eyes to the problems roots.
Poor parenting leads some times, to the same from the next generation.
Cash, not kids drives SOME carers, DOCs has both the best, a minority, and the worst working there.
Public service s no longer able to deliver, every effort for change is stamped on.
I know of bright eyed little kids being shouted at all day.
Andi f I did some thing about it?
DOCs first act would not be to look at the problem but inform the perpetrators who complained.

Belly>> I measure us by how we fix such issues.<<

It is about money, it is about priorities, it is about votes.

Look at how quickly the two parties adopted "Green Protocols" because the electorate was becoming aware of green through the global media focus on green. Green news items are a daily mention in the media.

If the media reported the plight of these defenseless and abandoned little souls on a daily basis, things would change, it’s simplistic but it is true. If there are votes in it the bastards will borrow money to do it, like the BILLION spent on sea faring economic refugees. Put $500 million into the DOCS budget and watch duty of care come back to the system.

My last thought on the subject would be that we have born here refugees, some of them have been here for 40,000 years, but we spend on strangers.

Sonofglion I could throw ten other red herrings in to the mix.
Yes your claim about refugees is in part true.
I saw during Howard's rule, something most including Labor would not see.
Like it or not many do think we are being had,economic refugees, holes drilled in boats so a sinking can be arranged, a host of issues.
Dare I ?
Can we be honest?
A couple of High profile Muslim Representatives blackening us, turned many against boat people.
Yes I know not all are like that and by far not all are Muslim, but many do not.
This issue is not neglected.
It is poorly served by those meant to over see it.
We need a system that has checks and balances.
SOG we need people who have never seen, or lived with the worst, to look at the poor little kids.
Links could record a thousand deaths.
Ten thousand crimes against kids.
And more that that amount of blunders by DOCs.
Not good enough.

Belly>> A couple of High profile Muslim Representatives blackening us, turned many against boat people.<<

China, I saw a group of economic boat refugees, was it the lot from yesterday, no, it was from the two boats the day before, or it might have been from the day before. Anyway they were being searched and frisked by our navy guys. The deprived refugees looked young, strong, unperturbed, and more for a match to the young Aussie sailors. I bet they got the lifejackets over the women and kids.

We should certainly take refugees; our society was built on it. But our refugees are sitting in a U.N. camp somewhere waiting for their number to come up Belly.

http://www.smh.com.au/wa-news/investigation-into-department-care-of-girl-on-life-support-wont-be-independent--20120821-24kfi.htmlLink returns us to the thread.
And questions us all.
sonofgloin I give no less concern to those children than the ones the thread is about.
A child is a child, Itoo think our refugees are waiting in camps.
But that we can stop the boats by taking in ALL of the reports contents
I commend the link, not as a stone thrown but as the question why?

That 20 month old child has died.
It was the reason this thread started.
A thread that did not get the interest I had hoped.
Fitting but sad too it the thread should end with that tragic event
I picture the funeral of a life hardly begun.
Now for another issue, we are in a temporary slump, new threads no as often as once.
I try but do not want to hog, but many posters are not putting threads up.
WHY
Maybe a reason we return time and again to boat people politics Catholic church is we need in put from our new contributors to freshen us up?

A Child Safety Officer told me if love was enough then there wouldn't be any children in care. In the real world love isn't enough and Foster carers choose to give these damaged kids a home.

A Foster child is not your normal every day child. They are often children from backgrounds of abuse and/ or neglect. They lack the social skills to make friends, they are behind in School, have learning difficulties, speech difficulties, behaviour problems, abusive behaviours, attention disorders, bad hygiene, sexualised behaviours, poor health, attachment disorders, mentally and/or emotionally delayed, and the list goes on and on. You can get School aged kids still in nappies with the vocabulary of a 1 year old. An angry child will hurt you, damage your property and be at risk to themselves. You can’t pick them up and carry them to their bedroom. There are strict rules of what you can and cannot do. It may take all day to calm them and they still might not be right the following day.

You have visits and meetings with Counsellors, Community visitors, CSO’s, Case workers, teachers etc. Your life is a strict routine. Foster children need routine. Sometimes you can’t have friends over because the child may be sexually inappropriate with them. You attend various training programs. You focus your life around helping this child. It’s not simply feed, clothe and send them to School. Carers do a lot of work and it’s not for money. You get very little information about the child but you'll treat them like family.

We always need more Carers. Go to an information session and find out for yourself.

mafo78 all very well, tell me then about this dead 20 month old.
Tell me of the young girl starved to death in her own filth, of the recent girl bashed to death.
Tell me why DOC,s failed them.
Your story of children in care OVERLOOKS every illness you spoke of, every problem, comes to much loved children in much loved familys, why the dead? why the bashed?
Who if not the carers?
I challenge you, to see this case every word is truth.
Girl 11 years old, gets in bad company, by 13 is sneaking out all night to have sex.
Full make up, a night comes family is requested by police to come and get her, at a hall 2am.
First time they confronted the truth.
Never knew it was taking place.
DOC,s enters fray, at family,s request, trying to help the girl.
DOC,s demands family trust the girl, and allow her full make up all the time.
Family badly broken says no.
Docs inspector removes the girl, to foster carer, HIS 23 YEAR OLD NEPHEW in an Aboriginal mission.
That young girl came home, briefly, 2 years after, she told horror story,s, may or may not have been true.
That inspector was dismissed later imprisoned for other things.
Girl is now 37 years old drug addicted former maybe still prostitute.
Her uncle who raised her? still remembers the young lass riding her horses he bought and grieves.
I am that uncle, tell me no fairy tales a thousand such story,s exist.

maf078

'We always need more Carers. Go to an information session and find out for yourself. '

thank you for your rational, compassionate and sensible post. It really is a breath of fresh air.

On behalf of every dead child killed in forster care every injured or battered one too.
And those that will come.
And from my days as a Christian, may I remind you your God wanted the little Children to come to him.
I see no reason to think you care for the above.
Only posted that to bring me out in the open/taunt.
Mate based on my knowledge of the worst cases kids in foster care SOME NOT ALL, have been used as much as the worst in both Catholic and the Church of my birth Anglican.
I value still and forever the rules to live by from my Christian days.
Next time you read of the death/rape/ great harm done by a foster carer ask your self why you seem blind to the pain.