Battered mothers failing to report abuse for fear of losing kids

BATTERED mothers are refusing to report domestic violence for fear their kids will be taken away, National Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell warned yesterday.

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BATTERED mothers are refusing to report domestic violence for fear their kids will be taken away, National Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell warned yesterday.

She said some mothers are too scared to take a sick child to hospital, due to mandatory reporting laws that force doctors and nurses to report suspected abuse.

“Mothers are afraid to speak up and get help because they are worried the child protection system will get wind of it,’’ Ms Mitchell told The Saturday Telegraph.

“If they seek help and the child protection system gets involved, the mother can often be seen as non-protective of their children in not leaving the perpetrator — and the child can be removed.

“There is a fear in some communities, and especially Aboriginal communities, that their parenting styles are being judged very harshly.’’

National Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell speaks out in support of women who feel too scared to report the abuse happening in their families.

Child abuse complaints have soared by a third in three years. One kid in every classroom, on average, is in the child protection system, shocking new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data reveals.

Nearly 1000 unborn babies were reported to child protection workers in NSW last year over fears their parents would harm them.

In NSW, 20,316 children now live with relatives or strangers in foster care while 21,950 more are on “care and protection orders’’ through Family and Community Services.

FACS fielded a record 139,999 abuse notifications involving 79,487 children during 2015-16 — a 33 per cent increase in three years.

Ms Mitchell said parents’ drug and alcohol use, domestic violence and mental health issues were fuelling the abuse and neglect. She said most kids in the child protection system are “repeat clients”.

Some mothers are too scared to take a sick child to hospital, due to mandatory reporting laws that force doctors and nurses to report suspected abuse. Picture: Tara Croser

Ms Mitchell called for more help for struggling and dysfunctional families to find safety and care for their children without resorting to removal.

“You need to step in and provide safety rather than an immediate child protection response that involves removal of the child,’’ she said.

“There may be other family members who can provide a safe place.’’

Family and Community Services Minister Pru Goward said the government was undertaking a major reform of the child protection system aimed at supporting parents.

The AIHW report reveals FACS investigated 60 per cent of notifications and substantiated 30,266 complaints involving 17,282 children including 965 unborn babies, 1481 babies and 4094 toddlers.

The number of substantiated cases of abuse rose 11 per cent in three years.