help

collapse

Press one of the expand buttons to see the full text of an article. Later press collapse to revert to the original form. The buttons below expand or collapse all articles.

expand

collapse

Foster Sex-Ed

January 31, 2015 permalink

An Australian foster family ran a sex-shop out of their home. Foster children in the home got early sex-ed from examining sex toys and watching videos in the inventory.

expand

collapse

Foster parents caught running a sex shop in NSW still have children in their care

A COUPLE who ran a sex shop out of the back of their home and locked their eight-year-old foster son inside his bedroom at night in nappies are still authorised Family and Community Services foster carers.

The Sunday Telegraph has independently confirmed the couple from northern NSW still currently have two other children in their care despite “a gross breach of the duty of care” found by the NSW Ombudsman.

A document obtained by The Sunday Telegraph shows the NSW Ombudsman raised serious concerns about the carers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as far back as 2007.

The office of the Ombudsman wrote to the Chief Executive of Community Services Maree Walk on May 2, 2013 raising concerns about the children’s exposure to adult products.

“Based on the evidence, the allegations that the children were exposed to adult products was substantiated: and it was further suggested (boy) was exposed to this environment for prolonged periods of time, as he has demonstrated clear understanding of ‘rude videos’ and ‘pornos’ and has been accessing pornographic websites in his new placement,” the letter states.

Furthermore the letter indicates concerns had been raised about the appropriateness of couple as foster parents back in 2007 by a local paediatrician.

“Additionally it is alarming to learn that Mr and Mrs (name withheld) engaged in extremely dangerous, restrictive practices of locking (son’s) door, from the outside at night, forcing a long term reliance on night nappies at the age of eight,” the letter states.

Foster carers can earn between $15,000 and $39,000 per child per year depending on categories of care.

The allegations that the children were exposed to adult products was substantiated: and it was further suggested (boy) was exposed to this environment for prolonged periods of time, as he has demonstrated clear understanding of ‘rude videos’ and ‘pornos’ and has been accessing pornographic websites in his new placement

An investigation from the Ombudsman’s office also raises concern about the risk of harm to the other two girls still in the placement, one of which was still wearing night nappies despite ‘reasons unknown to medical professionals’.

“It is the assessor’s professional opinion that the substantiated harm and substantiated risk of harm to (name withheld) and (name withheld) is too high to consider the children remaining in the placement.”

Sources within Family and Community Services have confirmed two girls remain in the care of the couple. Last year the couple ran a motorcycle shop which displayed Nazi paraphernalia on display in Facebook pictures. The Ombudsman questioned why the couple still had carer authorisation despite recommendations that it be cancelled.

Dr Joe Tucci, from the Australian Childhood Foundation, said the case highlighted the current crisis in child protection: a growing number of children needing out of home care and a diminishing number of available foster carers.

“Kid who are removed from abusive families should be given the best quality care to recover from the abuse and neglect. They need carers who can meet their needs in a loving way. To move them into another house of abuse is to multiply the impact,” Dr Tucci said.

FACS senior bureaucrat Kate Alexander told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse last year that some foster children were being abused and some had died of abuse and neglect in care.

“There will be some people who choose to misuse their power with children, who are very good at not being detected,” she said.

But Dr Tucci said it was of extreme concern that authorities already know the situation with the carers in question and had failed to act.

“This is the bit that defies logic, but when a system knows carers are providing an abusive environment, then the system is culpable,” he said.

The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services published last week found that 365 children were abused by someone living in their foster home during 2013-14, but the figures did not include Victoria and NSW — which ­together account for three-quarters of all kids in care. NSW and Victoria do not provide statistics on the number of children harmed in foster care.

The report on state and territory community services shows that 45,746 abused and ­neglected children were living in foster care last financial year.

Source: Daily Telegraph (Australia)

sex shop

sequential