What do we do with a little kid who is neglected? Who has to call the ambulance to revive his mum after another overdose? Who has to clean his baby sister because she has no nappies and the dog died of starvation the backyard? A terrible case of neglect. A young man came into the practice yesterday and told his story.
What makes the story unbearable is that foster care was, if possible, even worse. He was punched, kicked and wipped with chords. He was lifted by his ears until they bled. The perpetrator was his foster father. His very traditional foster father parented him in the same way as he was parented, according to his cultural background.
What should we have done with him? What are the alternatives? How could we have known in advance that violence was likely? How important is cultural placements, if they risk exposure to abuse?
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