Petition started to urge Banyule city council to install more fences at playgrounds

A group of desperate mothers have slammed a northeastern suburbs council for refusing to provide more fenced playgrounds, which they claim is risking the lives of their little ones.

Maddie Francis is pushing for Banyule council to install fencing around more of its playgrounds, to help keep her autistic son Ashton safe. Picture: Aaron Francis

A group of desperate mothers have slammed a northeastern suburbs council for refusing to provide more fenced playgrounds, which they claim is risking the lives of their little ones.

Mum Maddie Francis said she lived in “constant fear” when she took her autistic son to an unfenced playground because he had a tendency to run towards the road or nearby waterways.

She said despite trying to instil road and water safety in the 8-year-old, his neurological condition meant he couldn’t comprehend the risk.

“He’s not being naughty — it’s just his neurodiversity at play,” she said.

“He watches and waits till the second you’re not looking, and then he just sprints.”

Despite trying to teach road safety to her autistic son Ashton, Maddie Francis says going to an unfenced playground is terrifying. Picture: Aaron Francis.

It wasn’t just kids with autism who were at risk, Ms Francis said, noting parents with more than one child could not watch all of them at once.

“It’s not just for neurodiverse kids but for everyone who has an absconder — every twin or triplet mother with multiple children — or anyone who has a runner and wants extra safety so their kids can play safely,” she said.

“Children are being kept at home, and it’s just sad.”

However, Ms Francis said when she approached Banyule council earlier this year to ask them to consider installing fences at more playgrounds in the area, the request was “flatly rejected”.

Banyule council owns 150 playgrounds across its seven precincts, of which six are fully fenced.

In an email, the council told Ms Francis the reasons playgrounds weren’t fenced included “limiting the opportunity to play in the whole park” and that a fence “effectively cages play”.

The council also noted fences made playgrounds “inaccessible to some users who can’t open gates”.

“Fencing has also been shown to create a false sense of safety where parents don’t supervise their children effectively,” the council spokeswoman told Ms Francis.

Ms Francis has started a petition to urge Banyule city councils to install more fenced more playgrounds to help protect special needs children. Picture: Aaron Francis.

An online petition by Ms Francis attracted more than 400 signatures in one week.

Brooke Valulcyzk is another Banyule resident with four young neuro-diverse kids.

“My six-year-old tends to run away when she’s overwhelmed. Previously, we had her run off and nearly ended up on the road,” she said.

Ms Valulcyzk said her kids, like a lot of neurodiverse children, became easily dysregulated when they were forced to sit in a car, which resulted in them not being able to enjoy the playground after an emotional outburst.

She said Banyule council was responsible for ensuring every child had a safe place to play “no matter their needs”.

“Fencing is such a simple thing that would keep them safe … (the council) needs to make sure to support all children rather than just put it on to the parents because every child’s needs are different,” she said.

RMIT University senior lecturer David Armstrong said kids with developmental disabilities like autism may not understand or recognise risk and often behaved in a way that neurotypical people saw as “disinhibited”.

“Neurodiverse kids have a feeling or emotion or a wish, they express that immediately and may not always think through some of the consequences, which can be seen in typical children too,” he said.

Mr Armstrong said fenced playgrounds would provide an extra safety net for all children.

Despite rejecting Ms Francis’ requests, when questioned by Herald Sun, Banyule mayor Tom Melican said the council planned to ensure there would be “at least one fully-fenced playground in each of Banyule’s seven precincts”.

“We are always improving to meet the changing needs of our community. We understand the concerns raised and appreciate them reaching out to the council for help,” Mr Melican said.

“Getting the balance right between providing a safe area and ensuring our playgrounds are open and accessible is difficult, and we are trying to achieve that balance.”