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Positive Powerful Parents (PPP) is a Self Advocacy Group run by and for Parents with Intellectual Disability. PPP was started in 2012 by a parent who had experienced child removal because of their intellectual disability. PPP was started with support from Reinforce Self Advocacy Group and the Self Advocacy Resource Unit (SARU).
When the founder discovered that she was not the only parent with intellectual disability to be contacted by child protection & lose their child, she decided she wanted to make a change, so families got to stay together.
PPP raises awareness about the issues parents with intellectual disability face, we talk about child removal and child protection and the discrimination that parents face. PPP believe that parents with intellectual disability have their own unique way of parenting and with the right supports in place, most parents should be able to keep their children at home with them. PPP believe parents with intellectual disability have the right to access the supports they need to parent their children. PPP also believe that when parents with intellectual disability become involved with child protection, there should be plans put in place so they get the chance to be kept together.
PPP wants the Disability Royal Commission to know that there are people with a disability being discriminated against by Child Protection and Healthcare Providers and this needs to change. We also want you to know that children are still being removed from parents with intellectual disability and sometimes babies are removed in the first few hours after birth while the mother is still in hospital. Mothers do not know that this is going to happen and are not given a chance to learn to care for their child. Children are removed from parents who have not abused or neglected their kids, they are removed because child protection and healthcare professionals think that people with intellectual disability cannot be good parents, but that is not true, there is a lot of evidence that says that people with intellectual disability can make good parents. Parents need better access to support and education before and after their babies are born, and the support and education needs to be tailored to people with disabilities learning needs.
We have some members getting support to be parents in their NDIS plans and some members who don’t. Some planners say that support to be a parent is an everyday need and others consider it a disability need. We, as PPP think that this is unfair and continues to cause inequality and discrimination even with the roll out of the NDIS. We want all parents with intellectual disability to have equal access to parenting supports in their NDIS plans and for pregnancy to be a trigger for an immediate plan review.
We want people to know that parents with intellectual disability are not treated the same as parents without intellectual disability and that our human rights and the human rights of our children are being violated.
We ask the Disability Royal Commission to read and watch the following resources that PPP have made. These resources are part of our submission. There are 2 videos, a report, an album of original songs and poems, a list of child protection gaps and a statement on the rights of parents with intellectual disability. All of the resources can also be found on our website, www.positivepowerfulparents.com.au
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Video: How would you feel?
2018 Report: Hand in hand Report
PPP songs and poems
Statement on the rights of parents with intellectual disability
Child protection gaps - not available on our website.
Gaps and problems faced by parents with Solutions from parents with intellectual disability intellectual disability in contact with:
Child Protection
Child Services
Child Safety
Child protection doesn’t go back over decisions and Child protection should follow up instead of just follow up to make sure things are going as planned jumping to conclusions that things are going to plan.
Child protection should follow up with everyone involved in a case regularly to make sure things are going as planned.
Child protection workers have said things and Child protection workers should tell the truth all the documented things that aren’t true time and NEVER lie
Child protection are not clearer and do not explain Child protection should make sure parents understand why they remove children in a clear and easy to what is happening and why. understand way Child protection should always have accessible information for parents. The information should be easy to understand with no gibberish or jargon words. The information needs to be given to parents in a way they understand.
Child protection don’t explain the court process Child protection needs to have clear and easy to understand information about each type of court Example -What is a readiness hearing? hearing.
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Child protection should make sure parents understand what is happening and what is next.
Child protection workers judge and discriminate This means it is against the law for child protection against parents with Intellectual Disability. workers to discriminate against parents with intellectual disability. It is against the law for anyone to discriminate Child protection should be educated about this. against people with disability, this includes parents Child protection should be educated to know that with intellectual disability. having an intellectual disability does not mean that a parent will harm or indirectly harm a child. Child protection should not look for a way around disability to remove a child.
Mistakes made by child protection in the past are If child protection finds out that they have made a not investigated mistake, they should reopen the case and reinvestigate it.
Child protection do not own up to their mistakes If child protection realise they have made a mistake they should go back to all parties and own up to the mistake, apologies and then do the right thing by all parties. Child protection should offer and pay for any counselling and anything else anyone needs because of the mistake.
Child protection does not say sorry for the mistakes If child protection realise they have made a mistake they made in the past they should apologise to all parties and offer any support that people might need. This may include compensation or a payout of some sort.
Child protection do not help parents to get support Child protection should make sure that parents have an in the home NDIS plan that can help with supports in the home.
Child protection should work with the family and put in place any others supports the parents need before they remove the child/children.
Child protection do not support the relationship Child protection should make it easy to have access between parents and children who are in out of visits. home care This includes:
- at appropriate times
- as often as possible
- easy to get to places
- education about ages and stages of chiIdren/teenagers
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Child protection do not reassess cases as a child Child protection should reassess cases every 2 or 3 grows, because concerns that were raised at years to see if concerns raised at the time of removal removal may be irrelevant when a child is older are still relevant.
Child protection can create an environment where Child protection should support the child and the the child fears the parent parent through access visits. When access visits are no longer supervised, child Example: supervised access can make a child feel the protection should support the child to know the parent parent is unsafe. Also the child can worry if access is safe. went for longer than½ an hour, because that is what Child protection should help the child to understand if the child has always known, they thought someone access times change. would get into trouble Child protection should also reassure the child that no one will get in trouble if access goes for longer.
Child protection do inadequate background checks It should be mandatory that child protection do a of carers working with children check and a police check for all carers and care givers, this includes parents. Also, it should be mandatory that child protection do a follow up working with children check every 3 years and a yearly police check with carers and care givers. Child protection needs a service where parents can report things in court orders that stop happening. Child protection should set up a system where parents can go if they are having issues with carers and care givers, there should be no limit of time passed that parents can connect. A help line? Parents can report anonymously if they want.
Child protection should also talk to children about anything happening.
Child protection do not look at historical abuse when It should be mandatory that child protection do a placing a child somewhere, this is being ignored and working with children check and a police check for all children are being placed with inappropriate family carers and care givers this includes parents. members Also it should be mandatory that child protection do a follow up working with children check every 3 years and a yearly police check with carers and care givers.
Child protection should set up a system where parents can go if they are having issues with carers and care givers, there should be no limit of time passed that parents can connect. A help line? Parents can report anonymously if they want.
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Child protection should also talk to children about anything happening.
There is NO support for parents when family/carers Child protection should set up a system where parents have a dispute with the parent, there is nowhere for can go if they are having issues with carers and care the parent to go givers, there should be no limit of time passed that parents can connect. A help line? Parents can report anonymously if they want.
Child protection should take notice of the parent’s Everyone has skills. skills and look for the places the parent is doing well Child protection should focus on the parents skills & ability and not on their disability.
Child protection don’t always have actual evidence Child protection should have hard facts, evidence and of what the risk a parent is and instead sometimes proof that can back up their claim of possible risk of use the phrase ‘possible risk of harm’ harm. Child protection should be very clear about what they Example: in a case it was assumed the parents might mean when they use the term “possible risk of harm or put the children at risk of harm and abuse by others at risk of harm” and explain to the parents what they but there was no evidence of this. mean.
There is no appropriate parent education to support The government should fund organisations to create parents with intellectual disability before and after programs and education for all parents with disability, the birth of children that is accessible or in plain or especially parents with intellectual disability. easy read English All programs and education should be accessible no matter what a parent’s disability is. These programs should be available across Australia. These programs should be available to all parents whether they have their children in their care or not.
Once parents have lost their baby they are not able Parents and babies need to bond properly. to bond with them, this means any placements at If a baby is removed, child protection should allow are much parents to have daily access for up to 8 hours to bond. harder This should be in a place, like the parents’ home or somewhere that is suitable for the parents and the child. This place should be private, safe and comfortable so parents can be supported to nurture their child properly by doing things like skin to skin time.
Parents are not given education or skill development The government should fund organisations to create to get their children back. programs and education for all parents with disability, especially parents with intellectual disability.
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Example: often a magistrate will put in the orders All programs and education should be accessible no that parents have enrol in education such as matter what a parent’s disability is. parenting courses, but there is very little to nothing These programs should be available across Australia. available if you do not have your child at home with These programs should be available to all parents you or even if you do have your child whether they have their children in their care or not. There should be enough programs available to support all parents so that parents are never told they are full.
Parents with intellectual disability are not given Parents and children need more time and more access education and support to have meaningful visits so they can bond. Most parents do not get relationships with their child/ren who are in out of enough access visits or access visits are not long home care as they grow older. enough. The government should fund organisations to create Example: As children grow up parents with limited programs and education for all parents with disability, contact find it hard to talk to their children. especially parents with intellectual disability. All programs and education should be accessible no matter what a parent’s disability is. These programs should be available across Australia. These programs should include things like education about ages and stages of children/teenagers
Child protection does not provide support for Child protection should work with families to parents with intellectual disability before and after understand what supports they need before, during & court after court, and then provide whatever it is the family needs.
Child protection does not make sure parents are It should be put into all court orders that parents get all always kept in the loop about their child’s medical the information about their child’s medical needs and needs and schooling schooling. Child protection should follow up to make sure this continues to happen even after kids are put in permanent care.
Child protection needs a service where parents can report things in court orders that stop happening.
Child protection does not listen to children Child protection should listen to children, especially as they grow older as they may want to spend more time with their parents.
There are not enough supports in place (in the The government needs to provide funding to create community) to keep families together, this should be accessible supports and education for parents with a priority intellectual disability to keep families together.
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All the support should be accessible no matter what the disability and should be able to be provided as soon as needed. The NDIS should be involved in this as well. This should happen now!
Child protection is not aware of the UN Convention All child protection workers should know what the UN and follow it Convention says about parents with disability.
The statement in the UN Convention should be given to all child protection workers.
There should be an Enquiry into Child Protection A recommendation from the Disability Royal Commission is:
There needs to be an Enquiry into the Child Protection System in all states of Australia or There needs to be a Child Protection Royal Commission
Child protection does not listen to parents with Child protection should ask and listen to parents with intellectual disability intellectual disability about what supports they need before taking away their children.
Child protection needs to listen to parents with an intellectual disability and not just they can’t be parents.
Child protection has issues with supervision at Child protection should listen when a parent says there access, issues include: is an issue with access.
Child protection should make sure all people Inappropriate people supervising access supervising access are positive and supportive about the access.
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Inappropriate workers supervising access Child protection should make sure all people
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Parents never being allowed to have access supervising access have working with children's checks
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unsupervised and polices checks.
- Online access not always offered when face Child protection should make sure that there is no one
to face is not possible supervising access who has had conflict with the family
As children get older child protection should reassess access visits to see if parents are ready to have unsupervised access
Online access should always be offered if face to face access cannot happen.
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This should happen no matter what the age of the baby/child is because hearing their parents voice is very important.
Family Lawyers are not trained in disability and are Parents do not get enough time with their lawyers not always supportive of parents with disabilities before a court hearing. There should be a system and their rights where parents with a disability get to talk to their lawyers more than once before a court date or on the day of, court so the lawyers understand where the parent is coming from.
Lawyers need to listen to parents with intellectual disability.
The government should fund training for lawyers to understand parents with disability.
The government should fund legal aid better so parents have lawyers all the way to the end of their case.
Lawyers should know the UN Convention on the rights of parents with a disability.
Lawyers should also know and understand the human right of parents with intellectual disability.
Lawyers should no put parents with intellectual disability in the too hard basket.
Not all parents with intellectual disability have NDIS The NOIA need to listen to parents with intellectual plans. Sometimes parents with pleas are told they disability and allow parents to have “being the best cannot include parenting goals in their plans. parent they can be” be a goal a person’s NDIS plan.
The NDIS plan should have things like:
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Any supports child protection says the parent needs before a child is removed- this could be active over nights
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Help with parenting classes
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Support to go to appointments
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Cooking
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Cleaning
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Gardening/mowing
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Clothes washing
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Extra one on one support in the first few months of having the baby home
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Any support a parent needs after a child is removed
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Support to go to access visits
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Child protection has not done a good job at Child protection should provide online access with the supporting parent access during covid19, some children if face to face contact cannot happen. parents have lost all contact This should happen no matter what the age of the baby/child is because hearing their parents voice is very important.
The data on removal of children from parents with Child protection should be open and share the data Intellectual Disability is not available. on line about the removal of children from parents with intellectual disability.
Parents do not have access to their own files to see Child protection should give parents a copy of their what has been said. own files when requested so they know what has been said about their case or history.
Child protection does not always tell the child who Children have the right to know the truth about who their parents are. their parents are.
Child protection do not always prove why the Child protection should explain why they think a parents’ home/house is unsafe. house/home is unsafe so the parents can fix the problem and make it safe for their baby or child.
Child protection do not always document all cases, Child protection should follow up on cases that do not this is more likely to happen when a case does not go to court to make sure everything that was agreed on go to court. is still going as planned.
Child protection should not take the word of family members that’s things are going ok, they need to talk to all parties.