Mother made her three young girls eat from bins, beat them with a broom and sleep in a dog kennel – but court rules she is still allowed custody of one child
- Three young girls will be removed from their mum after ‘dramatic’ neglect
- Victorian tribunal heard they were not fed, were showered in their clothes
- One girl was forced to sleep in a dog kennel after being locked out of the home
- The three girls will see mum once a month and their brother will live with her
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A mother forced her three children to find food in bins, hit them with a broom and made one sleep in a dog kennel in an horrific case of child neglect.
The mother tried unsuccessfully to fight a Department of Health and Human Services ruling that the three girls never return to live with her.
The girls, aged 10, seven and four, have been in state foster care for almost three years. A fourth child, a younger boy, lives with the mum.
Over the years there has been an ‘extraordinary’ amount of contact between the Department and the children amid ‘dramatic’ concerns about neglect, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal heard.
A Victorian mother has lost custody of her three daughters after forcing them to eat from bins and beating them with a broom (stock image)
The tribunal was told the mother caused physical harm to the children with one sleeping in the dog kennel at times when she locked them out of the home.
The children also reported the mother hitting them with a broom, showering them in their clothes and sending them to school without underwear.
The girls also reported having to find food from the neighbours’ bins because she did not feed them.
The Department told the tribunal the middle girl’s behaviour was extremely troubling, including threats of violence and self-harm attempts. She also suffered night terrors and presented with different personalities, including an aggressive male, a dog and a cat.
The older girl also has post-traumatic stress disorder and has witnessed sexual abuse of the mother by a former partner.
The mother herself has a significant child protection history and mental health issues after being exposed to significant violence as a child and sexual violence as an adult.
Each of the four children has a different father, and none has played a part in their upbringing.
The mother previously denied the DHHS reports and disputed the diagnoses made of the three girls.
A tribunal heard one of the girls had to sleep in a dog’s kennel after being locked out of her home (stock image)
But in her ruling, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal vice president Judge Marilyn Harbison said it was the right decision the girls not return to live with her.
‘I am persuaded there is no real likelihood of the safe reunification of any of the girls with the mother in the next 12 months,’ she said.
‘In coming to that decision I have considered the best interests of each of the children.’
She said while the mother went to great lengths to improve her life, there were significant issues arising from her evidence, including her failure to recognise her children’s past trauma.
Judge Harbison affirmed the girls could have contact with the mum once a month.
The DDHS secretary’s case manager told the tribunal while there are no current concerns with the young boy, he was not confident the cycle of abuse would stop.
Lifeline 13 11 14.
The girls were forced to eat from their neighbour’s bin, as they did not get fed at home, the tribunal heard (stock image)