Corruption Coverups in NSW Child Protection - Issue One: The Ombudsman and Ethical Fatigue
- Details
- Category: NSW Ombudsman
- Written by Michael Hart
As some readers are probably aware we here at Alecomm, along with some others, put in abstracts for the latest national Anti-Corruption conference. See here: http://www.apsac.com.au/ We have recently heard back and unfortunately our abstracts were rejected. As far as we know the other abstracts about corruption in the Child Abuse Industry were also rejected. Here at Alecomm we want to continue to expose the corruption by DoCS and other agencies involved in Child Abuse even if they fail to be recognised through official channels.We acknowledge the public's right to know about the corruption and demand that Government address it. We at Alecomm appear to be the only ones courageous enough to take this on for individuals.
We note that the NSW Ombudsman has a great big banner over his head which claims "It's time to put the kids first" when he gets his photograph in the paper after the Telegraph reports the DoCS CEO (Annette Gallard) covering up reports of failures in that Department. However does having your photograph in the paper give the public assurance that he actually investigates the CEO covering up their failures?
The NSW Ombudsman might be forced into action when the public reputation of his Office is questioned by the Daily Telegraph but does that mean it is just as diligent when acting on behalf of the private citizens. We looked up the word "Ombudsman" in the dictionary
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ombudsman) and found it to mean:
"a government official who hears and investigates complaints by private citizens against other officials or government agencies"
That's right: it appears the Ombudsman is supposed to investigate complaints by private citizenship and not just by the newspapers !!!
We then went a step further and looked up the word "investigate" in the dictionary (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/investigate) and found it to mean:
-verb "to inquire into (a situation or problem, ...) thoroughly; examine systematically, esp in order to discover the TRUTH"
So we discover the NSW Ombudsman's role is to do something in order to discover the TRUTH on behalf of a private citizen that must deal with public servants. The question we want to ask is how well does the NSW Ombudsman fulfill that role? Does Bruce Barbour act on behalf of private citizens in discovering the truth in Child Abuse cases where evidence manufactured or does Bruce Barbour act to drop the case like a hot potato?
As a starting point we will take Bruce Barbour's own 2007 submission to the Anti-Corruption conference. Readers can view it here : http://www.apsac.com.au/2011conference/pdf/papers07/day1_24oct07/StreamB1/ConflictOfInterestIssues_BruceBarbour.pdf
(See Image1). Bruce says "More than any other wrong conduct, unacknowledged or mismanaged conflicts of interests in their many different forms have the potential to tarnish reputations, create distrust and end careers." Further into the paper he indicates that these conflicts of interests need to be managed from the senior staff when he says "Awareness and understanding of conflict management should begin to be built when staff first enter the workplace. During induction, senior managers should stress the possible impact of mismanaged conflicts, and make staff aware of, and comfortable with, the procedures in place for dealing with them." and goes further in saying the organization's CEO must practice what they preach. "Finally, and most importantly, the “tone at the top” needs to be right. It is no use putting procedures in place if CEOs and senior management do not practice what they preach."
But when dealing with complaints from private citizens does Bruce put into practice what he preaches at conferences or does he just go for those lovely dinners they serve at conferences and to mingle with the right class of people?In Image2 you can see a case where DoCS originally made up false reports about the level of service that was being supplied to a family with two disabled children. Readers will recognize that families with disabled children are particularly good targets for DoCS from Emily's case and the recent case in the Coroner's Court.
You can see in the case in Image2 that the family sought help with their disabled children, going to DoCS with medical recommendations from a specialist clinic at Westmead Children's Hospital, but the Government
(DoCS) decided to falsify the level of support provided to the family in their reports and also criticized the family for asking for the supports that were recommended by Westmead Hospital. A week after DoCS wrote this report, when the child was harmed, the same senior staff then supervised the falsification evidence during the criminal investigation they ran in order to blame the parents for non-existent services not being in place.
This is one example where, as the senior bureaucrat puts it, "There's no doubt in my mind the whole ethos of the department is to cover their tracks instead of protecting children."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/secret-files-show-docs-visits-to-at-risk-kids-have-decreased/story-e6freuzr-1225984469897At Alecomm our difficulty is, despite the Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, giving lectures on Conflicts of Interest at major corruption conferences, and claiming his "office is in the unique position of being able to look at conflicts in a variety of very different settings", he doesn't appear to be able to see the very obvious conflict of interest presented in this case. Readers should review Image2 followed by the Ombudsman's response in Image3.
Alecomm will then let readers decide.Talk about "Combating Ethical Fatigue" Mr Ombudsman. It appears the ethics of some change depending on who they are dealing with.
Alecomm hopes readers have found this article on Corruption Coverups in NSW Child Protection interesting. In Issue #2 we intend to delve deeper into the complaints process of the NSW Ombudsman.
Comments
Frank Kuiters from NSW Ombudsman's Office..
"no one is safe". He is worried about his grandchildren.. ..only wish I had recorded it.
Nearly 3 years have passed and yet no reply to numerous letters have been received.
Your incompetence aids and abets criminal acts.
Closed down 2 "investigations " leaving 27 questions still on the table.
Even DoCS own INTERNAL report was far more scathing than any ineffectual lap dance with the Minister in this case by Barbour.
Kinmond associated with Leigh Leigh murder and Roger Rogerson but asst commissioner of DoCS at the Ombo???
PISS OFF ...get out of the Office where you sit on your lazy proverbial butt day after day and hand your cap over to someone Who Cares About Our Children.
You belong in INDONESIA
This disgusting Department is one that deals with our precious children and our precious children are not the priority of this Department.
IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD is a sickenning comment commonly made by these people who only have THE BEST INTEREST OF THE DEPARTMENT IN WHICH THEY WORK and if it means COVERING UP serious NEGLIGENCE on the Dpt's behave , then they will go to any length to do so.
The Hon Linda Burney has had every oppurtunity to clean up this Department being Community Services NSW.
But instead she has turned a blind eye to the surmountable negligent and serious allegations from hundreds upon hundreds of Parents , Families and Siblings in regards to children in OOHC NSW.
Her PROAGANDA MACHINE and false public smile is sickenning to say the least. Her Chief Excutive Officer Annette
Gallard covers up the bulk of Abusive Powers , Unethical Standards , Negligence, Caseworker Bullying and Corruption within the Department, and sends out hundreds of the same STANDARD LETTERS to Parents and Families suffering trama due to the way children are abused in care of Community Services NSW.
We know of cases where children have not been sighted by their caseworkers for more than three years.
We know of abusive carers that are protected by the Dpt and their abuses of children are being covered up due to the fear of litigation.
And as for the man of the moment Mr Ombudsman himself .... he needs to step down for someone with a TRUE CONSCIENCE.
The only MP worth their salt in NSW who truly cares about what is happening to children in OOHC in NSW is Marie Ficcarra, hence they ignore what she has had to say regarding Emily Brown and they ignore the thousands of children in care today in NSW as they were SECOND CLASS CITIZENS that are not worthy of a moment of their thoughts on any given day.
NSW Community Services Stink To High Hell.