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"Struggles with life while fostering. I need help."

About: Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services Department of Family and Community Services Department of Human Services (Victoria)

(as a carer),

I was asked to become a foster carer for a child seeking long term (rest of their life) care by the department of Children's Services in Shepparton Victoria.  The child was an ex boyfriend's sister's child. After several phone calls with the case manager I agreed and spoke at length to my own children about fostering the child before coming to that important life changing decision. After we as a family decided to agree to longterm placement for the child then the case manager in Shepparton decided to arrange a couple of phone conversations with the child prior to me travelling from Tweed Heads to Shepparton to pick the child up and essentially bring them into my family as part of our family. It was only at this point that the case manager in Shepparton informed me that we would likely have some difficulty conversing with the child due to the child's severe disability. So essentially I believe the case worker failed and was negligent in their duty of disclosure during the previous weeks of conversations with me about the child's needs, which in the end proved to be considerable resulting in my having to stop my full time job and subsequently losing my mortgaged home and becoming homeless with my own children as well as a profoundly disabled child. Let me add that at this point I contacted the new case worker for the child and explained how I was not able to care for the child any more to which the response was a threat to charge me via the courts and also to tell me there was no support available. Please be aware of the level of deception and abuse the departments case workers are capable of when making any decision to foster.

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Responses

Response from Wayne Briscoe, Strategy, Engagement and Communication, Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services 7 years ago
Wayne Briscoe
Strategy, Engagement and Communication,
Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
Submitted on 25/05/2016 at 9:49 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 9:50 AM


Dear Hell in a handbasket,

Thankyou for raising this matter with the Queensland Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disabilities Services. As your matter appears to relate to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, Shepparton Regional Office, I would suggest you contact that office on telephone 0358321500.

Kind regards,

Wayne

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