Child protection issue #1
The Kalgoorlie Miner reported a sad case of child abuse and bad bureaucracy on Saturday. In summary:
A couple (let’s call them Graham and Julia) with a child, Jason, became separated and divorced. Julia is a diagnosed schizophrenic and the courts have ruled that she should not have children under her sole care. Julia is now living in Queensland with Graham’s brother Darryl and Darryl’s wife Marlene. Darryl has served prison time.
The courts granted custody of Jason to Julia, Darryl and Marlene. There is evidence (which I have seen) that Jason was abused and maltreated in that environment.
Graham, who is from Kalgoorlie, obtained the right to have Jason stay with him and wanted to become his permanent guardian. Graham has a stable job and a new marriage. I’ve seen a doctor’s report that says he is an appropriate parent for Jason.
However, the court issued a recovery order for Jason to be returned to Queensland. Graham refused to obey the order and has gone on the run with his son.
The newspaper spoke to him and Jason yesterday and they are both highly stressed. Graham has run out of money and can’t get legal aid because they are representing Julia.
The only good news I can give is that after publishing the story we have received several calls from people offering to help Graham and Jason. A lawyer has offered her services pro bono. I’ll update the story here as new information arises.
These articles might be of interest:
How can courts justify handing a kid back to an abusive environment - the system stinks! I hope this father and his son manage to win their struggle!