Resources

Hear how parents’ lived experiences, tenacity and teamwork have produced green shoots of inclusion within the child protection system.

Speakers:

• The Hon. Leanne Linard MP, Minister for Children and Youth Justice and Minister for Multicultural Affairs
• Felicity Kime, Peer Parent, and President and cofounder of FISH (Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter)
• Leanne Claussen, Parent Leader, and CEO, Parents on a Mission
• Maddie Henaway, Parent Advocate, Family Inclusion Network of South-east Qld
• Renna Gayde, Family Partner, Family Inclusion Network of WA
• Sharlene McDonald, Family Partner, Family Inclusion Network of WA
• Debbie Henderson, Executive Officer, Family Inclusion Network of WA
• Jessica Cocks, Author, Peer Parent and Family Advocacy in Child Protection, Churchill Fellow 2016,Practice Lead, Life Without Barriers

In summary FIN’s comments are:

• The Amendment as drafted – which foregrounds adoption – must not proceed. That instead, the strong evidence base that already exists should be used to deliver a broad and flexible range of options – like respite for parents or joint guardianship - to achieve relational, physical, and legal permanency;
  
• If amendments are made to the Child Protection Act (1999), let’s instead amend Section 59 so that - if the court was not satisfied the Department had “taken all reasonable efforts to provide support services to the child and family” then it could refuse to make the child protection order;
  
• We must ensure parents have a right to legal representation, embed this in the legislation, and expand the Legal Aid funding pool to meet this need;
  
• The prescriptive two-year timeframe for ‘permanency’ should serve as a guide only, not be a fixed timeframe;
  
• The Act should also be amended so that biological parents are afforded their right to apply to have a Permanent Care Order revoked;
  
• It is not okay that the amendments risk the creation of yet further over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the child protection system, including in out-of-home care; and
  
• It is not okay that the amendments do not seek the views of children and young people themselves. This is especially critical in permanent decisions such as adoption.

Read our Submission here.

• Jo (Panel Host) – Member, Resound Voices of Experience
• Sloane – Member, Queensland Parent Advisory Committee
• Lila – Member, Queensland Parent Advisory Committee
• Kylie – Executive Director, Child and Family Practice, Department Child Safety, Youth and Women
• Leah – Member, Queensland Parent Advisory Committee

With a video message from The Hon Di Farmer, MP, Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, with Deidre Mulkerin, Director-General, Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women.

The ‘Shared Strength’ document summarises the advocacy journey, and features some parents’ answers to the question “What is the most important feedback about the child protection system that you would like to give?”. Deeper detail, in fact dozens of pages of direct quotes from parents are available in the full transcript of parents voices 2018-19.

‘Shared Strength’ also commemorates the significant commitment - in 2019 - to a permanent Queensland Parent Advisory Committee of parents, the Minister, and Department of Child Safety.

On 1 June 2018, the Honourable Di Farmer MP, Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women, and Minister for the Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence made an Australian-first announcement: "We are committed to working with parents in developing the policies for this department..."

Since completing Parent Leadership Training, these parents continue on their leadership journeys and continue to influence change in their families and communities.

Feel free to contact us if you have an interest in any of the projects listed or if you would like to mentor emerging parent leaders in future classes.

"This report shares our stories so that people know what is happening to parents with intellectual disability. It is a true reflection of parents’ lived experiences. We want the community to know that parents with an intellectual disability can be good parents when they have the support they need."

"When parents with intellectual disability come together we help each other and we try to change the way child protection sees us."