Townsville health professionals weigh in on ‘completely opaque’ child safety

An experienced doctor has labelled the child safety system like a “secret society”, as he questions how the department makes decisions about reunification.

AN EXPERIENCED doctor has labelled the child safety system like a “secret society”, as he questions how the department makes decisions about reunification.

Paediatrician Dr William Frischman, who has been in the business since the 1980s, said it should be easier for outsiders to challenge the inner workings of how the department operates surrounding reunification.

“We don’t know how one goes about it, it’s completely opaque,” Dr Frischman said.

His remarks come after a whistle blower revealed what they experienced while working for the department, including a toxic culture, increased carer complaints and more children being reunified with neglectful biological family.

A flood of Townsville carers who went through the same thing, and worse, have since come out of the woodwork to echo the call for change.

Dr Frischman is a private paediatrician who regularly cares for kids who have been fostered.

They come from backgrounds of neglect, often being placed into care as babies, and brought up “very lovingly and very securely” by their foster family.

He has written reports for these families based on what is in the best interest of the child, often stating they should not be reunified, and these reports are also forwarded to the Department of Children.

Child safety issues

“I’m not even sure they look at the letters,” he said.

Dr Frischman said he often never sees these children again, and they are placed back with family despite his advice.

“I don’t know what happens to these children. They disappear into a big hole.

“We always make it very plain to the department our thoughts about the kids staying with foster family.

“For reasons outside the realm of logic, the department then decides to remove these children and put them back into the care of their natural families.

“It goes against all the current theories of what a child needs to grow emotionally, its common sense.”

Doctors have shed light on how difficult it can be to work with child safety regarding the health and wellbeing of vulnerable kids.

Another Townsville doctor, who did not wish to be named, said child safety officers “shopped around” for second opinions from doctors, without presenting any documentation why they needed it.

Dr Frischman reiterated this statement.

“They are totally secretive, it really is like a secret society,” he said.

The unnamed doctor said evidence-based decision making needed to come into play when dealing with reunification.

She also called for another inquiry, saying the recommendations from the Carmody Inquiry were 10 years out of date.

“I can’t sit back and watch these kids being harmed,” she said.

“No institution should be above scrutiny.”

Queensland Minister for Children and Youth Justice and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Leanne Linard has stood by not needing another inquiry into the system. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Children’s Minister Leanne Linard said there have been “significant social changes” over the last 10 years which changed the way the department supports kids and families.

“Changes in society such as the impact of ice use and increasing family complexity, were not anticipated by the Commission of Inquiry. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of children who cannot live safely at home and who require out of home care,” she said.

“Despite these additional pressures, across the state today, child safety is responding to more child protection notifications than ever before, responding faster to the most urgent, and working with families in need longer.”

Originally published as Townsville health professionals weigh in on ‘completely opaque’ child safety