In December 2022, the Queensland Independent Disability Advocacy Network (QIDAN) provided a written submission to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission – DRC) about the issues parents with disability face when engaged with the child safety system.
Over the course of 2022, the principal advocate for QIDAN, Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI), undertook consultations with 7 parents with lived experience of disability and engagement with the child safety system, 43 disability advocates and 10 professionals who interact with the child safety system. As a result, 40 recommendations for change were made and many issues brought to light.
The submission explores key areas parents with disability experienced barriers when engaged with child safety.
They included:
- The presumption of a person’s inability to parent due to the presence of disability,
- Consequences for parents with disability who ask for support,
- Poor and inaccessible communication with parents with disability,
- Lack of meaningful support for parents with disability,
- Intersectional issues with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS),
- Intersectional issues with substitute decision makers,
- Intersectional issues with legal representation,
- Intersectional issues with the Department of Housing, and
- Issues for advocates.
The full submission can be viewed here and QIDAN looks forward to the final DRC report which is due 29 September 2023.
