Families Problems
The Department for Families and Communities and its predecessors have long been accused of being more interested in their own bureaucratic agendas than in the welfare of the families and communities they are supposed to serve. The recent letter reproduced below exemplifies the behaviour which has led to the setting up of a Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate such abuses.
Really glad
to see that you guys are back up and running and we are now able to
have somewhere to vent our spleen. Sad though that we will no longer be
hearing Shirley on the radio, she was a wonderful woman and will be
sadly missed.
I just thought I would bring to your attention an
article in Tuesday's 'Australian' news paper, page 6, by Caroline
Overington. How unbelievable is the 'South Australian Department of
Families?'
A Mr Ellis Wayland started a group called SOS
Kinderdorf International, fully supported by private donors whom built
eight homes on 13 blocks of land at Seaford Rise, furnished them at no
cost to the taxpayers, and had foster children cared for by full time
foster parents.
Now one would think this was the idea situation?
No cost to the taxpayer at all, and these homes are fully staffed by
foster 'mothers' who created a family environment for these children.
THEN the Department of Families stepped in? What they didn't like
someone treading on their toes and loosing their power base!
They
weren't allowed to call them 'mothers' and had to call them 'Carers.'
The children were to be called 'Clients' and not children?
And it goes on!
They
couldn't take the children [sorry clients] to the beach, wait for this!
'Because none of the mothers was a qualified lifesaver?' Sorry people
but most mothers aren't?
They couldn't move a bed without having it done by furniture removalists?
And it goes on and on and on and on and on.
Yes
that's what our little bureaucrats have got to now and the Government
bought the houses off SOS Kinderdorf. He believes it will be costing
the taxpayers something like 5 million more this year to run the centre
this year than when he was running it and they now have to have social
workers, the food is cooked by outside caterers and they have contract
cleaners? Yep you tell me? I'm at a loss the same as Mr Wayland?
John D
Aldinga Beach
Contact us: admin@sos-sa.org.au
Reservations
It isn't difficult to support "John D" unreservedly.
Of course it is OK to check that all is above board where children are concerned. For example, it would be entirely appropriate for Families SA to insist that all staff at SOS Kinderdorf International be subject to a police check so that undesirables were excluded.
After that, surely their charter would require that they provide every assistance to the voluntary group - not do everything possible to strangle it with red tape.
Save Our State South Australia Inc