zephsmum
13-07-2006, 11:12
I have some concerns about a relative of ours and her 2 children aged 4 and 2 and was wondering if you think Welfare should be involved. On the surface everything looks pretty ok with the children clean, well-fed, occassional day-care and dancing lessons, however I have been told by a reliable source that the 2yr old is left in the bath with the older sibling and often they are not restrained properly in the car (I have witnessed this myself) among other things.
They are often left in the care of their father, a known user/addict who has recently done jail time, one time resulting in a car accident (unreported) where he was driving unlicenced and the 4 yr old (3 at the time) was unrestrained and luckly thrown clear when the vehicle rolled, on another occassion the youngest child was rescued by a neighbour when found standing naked in the middle of the road, and once when the children were left in his care his mother came to visit and found the baby in the cot screaming, no nappy and covered in pee etc and the older child terrified hiding in a corner while he was coming down off heroin/morphine on the couch.
It is unconfirmed whether or not the mother is abusing hard substances (she is a dope smoker) but her appearance suggests that she may be. She can be very volatile and violent towards the children's father often hitting him and once ran into him with a car and broke his hand. I don't think she would hit her children but I am disgusted by names she calls the oldest child - "****-face" and "Slit-show" - whether it is considered a joke or not, it is certainly not appropriate. Neighbours in the past have commented on the mother yelling and swearing at the children all day. She often "kicks" the children's father out and he is replaced by another known substance user, until he is kicked out then the father comes back again.
As I have said, on the surface the children look to be well-cared for and I'm sure if Welfare turned up they would probably wonder why they were called in the first place and the mother can be very convincing IYKWIM, but I guess its whats going on behind closed doors that is the worry. All that said, Welfare did pay them a visit earlier in the year after the father apparently left the baby in the car while he went into Centrelink.
Sorry for the long post, but your opinions will be appreciated.
They are often left in the care of their father, a known user/addict who has recently done jail time, one time resulting in a car accident (unreported) where he was driving unlicenced and the 4 yr old (3 at the time) was unrestrained and luckly thrown clear when the vehicle rolled, on another occassion the youngest child was rescued by a neighbour when found standing naked in the middle of the road, and once when the children were left in his care his mother came to visit and found the baby in the cot screaming, no nappy and covered in pee etc and the older child terrified hiding in a corner while he was coming down off heroin/morphine on the couch.
It is unconfirmed whether or not the mother is abusing hard substances (she is a dope smoker) but her appearance suggests that she may be. She can be very volatile and violent towards the children's father often hitting him and once ran into him with a car and broke his hand. I don't think she would hit her children but I am disgusted by names she calls the oldest child - "****-face" and "Slit-show" - whether it is considered a joke or not, it is certainly not appropriate. Neighbours in the past have commented on the mother yelling and swearing at the children all day. She often "kicks" the children's father out and he is replaced by another known substance user, until he is kicked out then the father comes back again.
As I have said, on the surface the children look to be well-cared for and I'm sure if Welfare turned up they would probably wonder why they were called in the first place and the mother can be very convincing IYKWIM, but I guess its whats going on behind closed doors that is the worry. All that said, Welfare did pay them a visit earlier in the year after the father apparently left the baby in the car while he went into Centrelink.
Sorry for the long post, but your opinions will be appreciated.