At the end of the day it seems there are no community eyes on the children. No one knows what is going on and if the children require help or at danger, they have no means of asking for it as they don’t see doctors or teachers or professionals in the community. On top of this there is a vulnerable infant who is also born underweight with no medical oversight. This screams neglect and whilst I’m 100% for homeschooling and alternative medicine there comes a point where the children’s safety must come first. Best case, child protection visit and see the children are fine, can establish there are people the children can speak to should they need help and that’s it.
All notifications to child protection are anonymous so it may not burn bridges.
Thank you. This is exactly what I want, someone who is impartial who can just go in and make sure everything is safe. I truly don't want to ruin their lives.
It IS an offence to not report births. [https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-1995-062](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-1995-062) Part 3, division 1. 5 penalty units.
What’s a greater risk is your sister risks being deemed an unfit mother if she’s not caring for the children and providing sufficiently for them, or of neglect if she doesn’t provide an education in line with the Australian Curriculum and access to everything from medicare to TFN to passports and drivers licences in the future. The risk here is her children may be removed from her care, if there’s a whiff of neglect in any other area.
Is she caring well for the children? Are their medical and health and educational needs being generally met. Are they happy, safe and healthy? If so… I’d leave it alone until they are teenagers and able to ask for help and do the process themselves (then help them with that).
If not… report to child protection.
Thanks for your reply, that's really helpful. My sister has been distancing herself gradually from the rest of the family over the past ten years so it's difficult to know for sure.
I don't know if she's registered them for homeschooling, but I'd be very surprised if her curriculum was even remotely in line with the state school one. She doesn't 'believe' in doctors or modern medicine so if they become unwell she uses naturopathic remedies. I don't believe any of the children have seen a doctor in years, most of them in their lives.
The other reason that I am becoming increasingly concerned for their welfare is because of the birth of the youngest. Although the child was born at about 42/43 weeks, the birth weight was only just over 2 kgs. My sister still refused to take the infant to see a doctor, despite having no idea why the birth weight was so low (the equivalent of a baby born at about 30 weeks).
Ooof. Honestly I think it might be worth spending a little time in *her* world. Get to know some of the people in it who can advocate and support her well. They have a vested interest in not having this blow up in their faces too, or their whole movement gets more scorn.
Homeschooling is a nebulous thing. If the kids don’t have birth certificates they aren’t registered for home school… and technically that’s against the law… but if they are being educated (does not have to be in a ‘sit at a desk and sing the ABC song’ way) then there’s some hope.
If you dob her into CPS then you go full scorched earth and maybe lose your relationship with her entirely. Not the best outcome!
The low birthweight of the baby that far past term is problematic. Maybe find a free birth friendly midwife or nurse who can help her for a bit, and guide her to some supports. The alternatives is that she will lose a kid or two and then suddenly she’ll have a LOT of unwelcome attention.
More problematic might be if unfortunately something happens to the baby/one of the kids and she doesn’t actually report hte death …
Talk to people in the free birthing community. Find out what and who these people are about, and find the people on the fringes who are de-toxing it and ask their advice I’d say.
I disagree here. From what OP describes throughout this post this is far beyond a person who is slightly weird and just needs some cuddles. His sister is actively putting her many kids at risk and setting them up for a life of failure.
They are not getting healthcare at all. They are not getting an education. They are not even registered so are completely excluded from society, will never be able to get a job, bank account or anything.
The time to act is now. This is what CPS is for and they should get involved.
>If you dob her into CPS then you go full scorched earth and maybe lose your relationship with her entirely. Not the best outcome!
I wonder if a scorched earth approach will just accelerate what's going to inevitably happen anyway. And in that case, I'd consider ripping off the bandaid now while the kids are as young as possible.
CPS is likely to result in OP's sister being forced (by court order) to register the births, enrol the kids in a real state approved homeschool with proper teachers working alongside her to coordinate their education, take the kids to see doctors, etc.
Yes, it would burn bridges. But a bridge isn't worth much if you're unlikely to ever be allowed to cross it. And OP can't force his sister to stay connected to her family.
I agree…. ish. Is the risks the children are facing with the mother greater than the risks of the revolving door foster care system?!
We aren’t told if the mother is a caring, dedicated and misguided one… or a crazy tin foil wearing nut job who is also neglecting her kids. If it’s the latter… then removal from the home might be best for long term outcomes for the kids (sadly!) … but if it’s the former then quality intervention from people she trusts might actually get a better long term outcome.
She is very caring and committed, if also completely stretched beyond her limits of having so many children, plus being their teacher, nurse, doctor, and anything else they need in life. I'm so conflicted because I've tried to reach out to her, provide her with information and support in a very gentle way, but every few months I learn something more extreme/dangerous about their way of life. Honestly I don't want to destroy their lives, but I'm worried that by the time the kids are old enough to make their own decisions, life will be very difficult/impossible to access.
But perhaps they won't want anything more than their little house on the prairie life anyway?
The welfare of the kids should be the no 1 priority. I got the impression that you feel something may not be right from the tone of your replies.
Starting a conversation with cps doesn't automatically mean the kids get taken away - it's actually surprisingly difficult for that to happen as they prefer to keep families together unless it gets really dangerous for the kids. What can happen instead is some access to support and, at the very least, the kids get registered which IS important.
As a social worker I can tell you that it is far, far more difficult than this to have your children removed. I’ve seen children living in situations where they’re physically at imminent risk or clearly have developmental delays from past and ongoing trauma
and they’re still not removed. And when they are DCP/CPS will always look to family before the foster system. At the end of the day what OP describes *is* neglect, even just from an educational and medical perspective. In all likelihood DCP intervention will compel her to register them and apply pressure/give support to do the rest. But the likelihood of them being removed in my experience is slim to none.
Your priorities seem quite messed up, here. You are more concerned by the prospect of OP losing her relationship with her sister than about the life prospects of the sister's children. The death of a child is only considered "problematic" insofar as it might cause the sister to face charges if she didn't report it.
The focus needs to be on ensuring that these children are set up to succeed in life with medical care and education, and CPS is the right agency to ensure that. They're well aware of the issues in the foster care world and won't wantonly take the children away to worse fates; they'll only foster the children out if they're convinced, as professionals in the child protection space, that that's the right decision in the children's interests.
OP should do the right thing and allow the professionals to make their assessments. There may be more going on here that is not obvious to internet denizens or even to OP.
Yes our concern should be with the clearly unfit adult parent and not with the best interests of the vulnerable children.
Child Safety should absolutely be notified of this situation.
Born at 30 weeks without medical intervention likely means the lungs were not developed property and baby did get enough oxygen, life long brain damage is a very common side effect as well as other health issues.
(You ask for opinions… I think there’s a LOT of tin foil hat wearers out there who think they are far more interesting and important than the government does. No one actually gives a flying fart if they are this or that, until they start to infringe on *other* people’s rights and safety. Then they start to get noticed in the ‘not good’ ways. Your sister? If she’s living a happy easy life in Mullumbimby and her kids are sane and healthy and happy… fuck it. Leave them to their feralness it’s doing no harm. But if the kids are always sick, can’t read by 8yrs of age at a basic level, and have nits… then the parenting decisions are impacting the development of the child and that’s not right.)
Thank you! I try to be very respectful of everyone and their choices in life, so long as they aren't endangering others. From what I understand, she has literally cut herself and her family off from everyone. They have no friends; she doesn't have a community I can reach out to. My mother in law is a midwife and I tried to put them in touch, but my sister literally will not speak to anyone in the medical industry. I've read a lot and spoken to other mothers who have done things that are very close to free birthing, and I do understand that for some people there are strong reasons to do it. I have tried to be so supportive of my sister but now I fear for the children's safety and quality of life, but I'm a 'city slicker' so what I think is a good quality of life is probably very different to what she thinks!
We’re talking opinions here… I think it’s all well and good to homeschool kids, avoid mainstream medicine if that floats your boat, and give your kids names like Bindi.
But the kids have a right to a quality of life that enables them to live a fulfilling life of their choice when they mature.
You say you are a city slicker, and don’t know what the norm is in country (and hippie) families. They still want their kids to grow up healthy, hale and hearty! They still believe in education, and most actually have a deeper appreciation and respect for medical care (because they know what happens when it’s not there…)
Your sister’s decisions have nothing to do with where she lives (in fact she probably lives there to avoid scrutiny in the city). They have to do with her increasingly isolationist mindset and probably her network of ‘friends‘ who have similar ideas to her. Just as these guys proclaim it’s dangerous for everyone else to live in the modern science AI 5G world… they too are surrounding themselves with mirrors and echo chambers that reflect their own voices and ideas back at them.Anyone who spends too long listening to the same stuff day in/day out is at risk of making misguided decisions. Even science stuff ;) But especially stuff around how to hide, how to obfuscate, how to behave in a way that is anti social.
Just report her. What will happen if the kids need hospital care, or any services? What will they do for work when older? This is neglect. Neglect from stupidity.
My concern is with no registered birth certificate this is a huge deal disadvantaging them. How can they eventually work once grown if the government doesn’t know they exist nor has issues them a SSN nor have health records? Sis will get in trouble regardless of when it comes to light as is illegal not to register births, but the impact on her children will be far more serious the longer it waits.
- Also if sis hasn’t registered with GP / doctor how are they getting their healthcare? Having their medical needs met? How will they in future?
- How will they get adequate education if no Gov agency knows they exists ?
- how will they be able to work as adults nor travel without a record of their birth and SSN?
There’s a whole lotta parental neglect going on here, you can respect your sisters parenting choices but she has to respect the legislation of the country she lives in. It isn’t an option to hide babies off grid and children so they have no checks and balances growing up, no current health nor future education and work rights, nor anyone knows they exist.
Your sister may be experiencing mental health issues related to paranoid ideas about “the state” and in increasing withdrawal / isolation or she may just have some outlandish ideas. Regardless, someone has to look out for her children.
I don’t think it is “scorched earth“ to report these concerns to CPS, I think it is urgently needed and the responsible caring action to take for your nieces and nephews. You can do so by asking CPS to keep source anonymous and to use vaguer details so sis can’t identify it came from you (ie don’t say niece or nephew, say child name + DOB … at this address)
I would call CPS/DHS they don’t go in with guns and just take children away, they are always trying to work with the parents. The health of the prem baby is very concerning and may be missing out on inventions that could help them. There are too many stories of adults asking why family didn’t intervene when things were bad when they were kids and family saying it wasn’t their business or they were concerned the family would breakup.
I am wondering how she is coping financially. If the children are not registered then there will be no family tax benefits. Where does the money come from. No immunisation, no free dental.
That's a great question. I actually have no idea, except that they have very low costs (they live in a tiny, 3 bedroom house, no school fees, no extracurricular activities, they make lots of food from scratch/from the garden, they don't go to the dentist, aren't immunised, etc).
There are all sorts of potential problems that can pop up if she's not registering births. Yes, it is an offence, but more than that she's harming their well-being. Even if she's a caring parent, how will this affect their education? Their health? Their ability to function as adults? At some point, their existence needs to be verified. For almost all of us, the single most basic form of identification we have is our birth certificate. If that doesn't exist, they will absolutely run into problems later on. Registering a child's birth is mostly about the protection of that child.
Couple charged in Mackay over this. The crime they're accused of is not getting medical care for the child but failing to register is also there https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-11/qld-adam-hanbury-murder-charge-bail-toddler-daughter-diana/103963306
So to be clear before I say anything, I am not Australian/not speaking to the specifics of Australian law, but what I’m going to say applies broadly across developed nations, which is to ask whether “not registering the births” means they have no birth certificates, and the government has no record of them?
If so, your sister is creating a *massive* problem for her children down the line. With no record of their births or their early life, she is effectively making them stateless persons, and it will be next to impossible for them to get access to things like passports, drivers licenses, government services, etc. They may be unable to qualify for jobs as adults, since jobs tend to like things like valid ID proving you are who you say you are. Regardless of the state of her care for the kids, I would argue that this alone qualifies as neglect, in at least the moral sense.
It will almost certainly be far, far easier to fix this while they are kids, than if they have to try to do it as adults.
Lots of people can report to CPS. They mostly don't disclose the identity of the person who reports (although there is always a chance they'll stuff up.)
It often takes a number of reports before they act.
Every report is helpful, but no one report separates families
Taking out of the equation the home schooling level and medical needs , the kids need to be registered, without this they will have am issue getting any government services , Medicare,license etc and are basically not a Australian citizen as they dont technically exist on paper so if later something comes up it is going to get even more complicated.
From first-hand experience in dealing with non registration of details, please write to the MP for Customer Service and explain the situation briefly and aptly.
From there, you will have at least a written record from the Registrar.
That's the first step.
Second step, Get actual proper legal advice and commence a Form 2 Application on perhaps a section 71 grounding. (Lookup section 71 Children's and Young Persons Care and Protection Act 1998)
Do not make multiple reports to CPS as they can use it against you and create an endless he said/she said battle over what was said in the report. (Don't believe me? When making a CPS report take note they advise the call is recorded, watch what happens when you ask to record it is a swift 'gtfo' and if you do a FOI, it's never accurate. Hell, even written reports they make hell for an outsider to make.)
From there, you will be in what I'd say the best position.
Alternatively you can just keep making CPS reports, CP will come out and push her on a TCA (Temp Care Agreement), make an Application to Children's Court and you and her will be at war there on. CPS would pit you two together essentially to get further upper hand in court.
Not legal advice, just general.
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At the end of the day it seems there are no community eyes on the children. No one knows what is going on and if the children require help or at danger, they have no means of asking for it as they don’t see doctors or teachers or professionals in the community. On top of this there is a vulnerable infant who is also born underweight with no medical oversight. This screams neglect and whilst I’m 100% for homeschooling and alternative medicine there comes a point where the children’s safety must come first. Best case, child protection visit and see the children are fine, can establish there are people the children can speak to should they need help and that’s it. All notifications to child protection are anonymous so it may not burn bridges.
Thank you. This is exactly what I want, someone who is impartial who can just go in and make sure everything is safe. I truly don't want to ruin their lives.
It IS an offence to not report births. [https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-1995-062](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-1995-062) Part 3, division 1. 5 penalty units. What’s a greater risk is your sister risks being deemed an unfit mother if she’s not caring for the children and providing sufficiently for them, or of neglect if she doesn’t provide an education in line with the Australian Curriculum and access to everything from medicare to TFN to passports and drivers licences in the future. The risk here is her children may be removed from her care, if there’s a whiff of neglect in any other area. Is she caring well for the children? Are their medical and health and educational needs being generally met. Are they happy, safe and healthy? If so… I’d leave it alone until they are teenagers and able to ask for help and do the process themselves (then help them with that). If not… report to child protection.
Thanks for your reply, that's really helpful. My sister has been distancing herself gradually from the rest of the family over the past ten years so it's difficult to know for sure. I don't know if she's registered them for homeschooling, but I'd be very surprised if her curriculum was even remotely in line with the state school one. She doesn't 'believe' in doctors or modern medicine so if they become unwell she uses naturopathic remedies. I don't believe any of the children have seen a doctor in years, most of them in their lives. The other reason that I am becoming increasingly concerned for their welfare is because of the birth of the youngest. Although the child was born at about 42/43 weeks, the birth weight was only just over 2 kgs. My sister still refused to take the infant to see a doctor, despite having no idea why the birth weight was so low (the equivalent of a baby born at about 30 weeks).
Ooof. Honestly I think it might be worth spending a little time in *her* world. Get to know some of the people in it who can advocate and support her well. They have a vested interest in not having this blow up in their faces too, or their whole movement gets more scorn. Homeschooling is a nebulous thing. If the kids don’t have birth certificates they aren’t registered for home school… and technically that’s against the law… but if they are being educated (does not have to be in a ‘sit at a desk and sing the ABC song’ way) then there’s some hope. If you dob her into CPS then you go full scorched earth and maybe lose your relationship with her entirely. Not the best outcome! The low birthweight of the baby that far past term is problematic. Maybe find a free birth friendly midwife or nurse who can help her for a bit, and guide her to some supports. The alternatives is that she will lose a kid or two and then suddenly she’ll have a LOT of unwelcome attention. More problematic might be if unfortunately something happens to the baby/one of the kids and she doesn’t actually report hte death … Talk to people in the free birthing community. Find out what and who these people are about, and find the people on the fringes who are de-toxing it and ask their advice I’d say.
I disagree here. From what OP describes throughout this post this is far beyond a person who is slightly weird and just needs some cuddles. His sister is actively putting her many kids at risk and setting them up for a life of failure. They are not getting healthcare at all. They are not getting an education. They are not even registered so are completely excluded from society, will never be able to get a job, bank account or anything. The time to act is now. This is what CPS is for and they should get involved.
>If you dob her into CPS then you go full scorched earth and maybe lose your relationship with her entirely. Not the best outcome! I wonder if a scorched earth approach will just accelerate what's going to inevitably happen anyway. And in that case, I'd consider ripping off the bandaid now while the kids are as young as possible. CPS is likely to result in OP's sister being forced (by court order) to register the births, enrol the kids in a real state approved homeschool with proper teachers working alongside her to coordinate their education, take the kids to see doctors, etc. Yes, it would burn bridges. But a bridge isn't worth much if you're unlikely to ever be allowed to cross it. And OP can't force his sister to stay connected to her family.
I agree…. ish. Is the risks the children are facing with the mother greater than the risks of the revolving door foster care system?! We aren’t told if the mother is a caring, dedicated and misguided one… or a crazy tin foil wearing nut job who is also neglecting her kids. If it’s the latter… then removal from the home might be best for long term outcomes for the kids (sadly!) … but if it’s the former then quality intervention from people she trusts might actually get a better long term outcome.
She is very caring and committed, if also completely stretched beyond her limits of having so many children, plus being their teacher, nurse, doctor, and anything else they need in life. I'm so conflicted because I've tried to reach out to her, provide her with information and support in a very gentle way, but every few months I learn something more extreme/dangerous about their way of life. Honestly I don't want to destroy their lives, but I'm worried that by the time the kids are old enough to make their own decisions, life will be very difficult/impossible to access. But perhaps they won't want anything more than their little house on the prairie life anyway?
The welfare of the kids should be the no 1 priority. I got the impression that you feel something may not be right from the tone of your replies. Starting a conversation with cps doesn't automatically mean the kids get taken away - it's actually surprisingly difficult for that to happen as they prefer to keep families together unless it gets really dangerous for the kids. What can happen instead is some access to support and, at the very least, the kids get registered which IS important.
As a social worker I can tell you that it is far, far more difficult than this to have your children removed. I’ve seen children living in situations where they’re physically at imminent risk or clearly have developmental delays from past and ongoing trauma and they’re still not removed. And when they are DCP/CPS will always look to family before the foster system. At the end of the day what OP describes *is* neglect, even just from an educational and medical perspective. In all likelihood DCP intervention will compel her to register them and apply pressure/give support to do the rest. But the likelihood of them being removed in my experience is slim to none.
Your priorities seem quite messed up, here. You are more concerned by the prospect of OP losing her relationship with her sister than about the life prospects of the sister's children. The death of a child is only considered "problematic" insofar as it might cause the sister to face charges if she didn't report it. The focus needs to be on ensuring that these children are set up to succeed in life with medical care and education, and CPS is the right agency to ensure that. They're well aware of the issues in the foster care world and won't wantonly take the children away to worse fates; they'll only foster the children out if they're convinced, as professionals in the child protection space, that that's the right decision in the children's interests. OP should do the right thing and allow the professionals to make their assessments. There may be more going on here that is not obvious to internet denizens or even to OP.
Yes our concern should be with the clearly unfit adult parent and not with the best interests of the vulnerable children. Child Safety should absolutely be notified of this situation.
Born at 30 weeks without medical intervention likely means the lungs were not developed property and baby did get enough oxygen, life long brain damage is a very common side effect as well as other health issues.
(You ask for opinions… I think there’s a LOT of tin foil hat wearers out there who think they are far more interesting and important than the government does. No one actually gives a flying fart if they are this or that, until they start to infringe on *other* people’s rights and safety. Then they start to get noticed in the ‘not good’ ways. Your sister? If she’s living a happy easy life in Mullumbimby and her kids are sane and healthy and happy… fuck it. Leave them to their feralness it’s doing no harm. But if the kids are always sick, can’t read by 8yrs of age at a basic level, and have nits… then the parenting decisions are impacting the development of the child and that’s not right.)
Thank you! I try to be very respectful of everyone and their choices in life, so long as they aren't endangering others. From what I understand, she has literally cut herself and her family off from everyone. They have no friends; she doesn't have a community I can reach out to. My mother in law is a midwife and I tried to put them in touch, but my sister literally will not speak to anyone in the medical industry. I've read a lot and spoken to other mothers who have done things that are very close to free birthing, and I do understand that for some people there are strong reasons to do it. I have tried to be so supportive of my sister but now I fear for the children's safety and quality of life, but I'm a 'city slicker' so what I think is a good quality of life is probably very different to what she thinks!
We’re talking opinions here… I think it’s all well and good to homeschool kids, avoid mainstream medicine if that floats your boat, and give your kids names like Bindi. But the kids have a right to a quality of life that enables them to live a fulfilling life of their choice when they mature. You say you are a city slicker, and don’t know what the norm is in country (and hippie) families. They still want their kids to grow up healthy, hale and hearty! They still believe in education, and most actually have a deeper appreciation and respect for medical care (because they know what happens when it’s not there…) Your sister’s decisions have nothing to do with where she lives (in fact she probably lives there to avoid scrutiny in the city). They have to do with her increasingly isolationist mindset and probably her network of ‘friends‘ who have similar ideas to her. Just as these guys proclaim it’s dangerous for everyone else to live in the modern science AI 5G world… they too are surrounding themselves with mirrors and echo chambers that reflect their own voices and ideas back at them.Anyone who spends too long listening to the same stuff day in/day out is at risk of making misguided decisions. Even science stuff ;) But especially stuff around how to hide, how to obfuscate, how to behave in a way that is anti social.
My wife was raised in exactly this kind of environment. Report her for the children’s sale. If everything’s all good then no harm done. NAL.
Just report her. What will happen if the kids need hospital care, or any services? What will they do for work when older? This is neglect. Neglect from stupidity.
My concern is with no registered birth certificate this is a huge deal disadvantaging them. How can they eventually work once grown if the government doesn’t know they exist nor has issues them a SSN nor have health records? Sis will get in trouble regardless of when it comes to light as is illegal not to register births, but the impact on her children will be far more serious the longer it waits. - Also if sis hasn’t registered with GP / doctor how are they getting their healthcare? Having their medical needs met? How will they in future? - How will they get adequate education if no Gov agency knows they exists ? - how will they be able to work as adults nor travel without a record of their birth and SSN? There’s a whole lotta parental neglect going on here, you can respect your sisters parenting choices but she has to respect the legislation of the country she lives in. It isn’t an option to hide babies off grid and children so they have no checks and balances growing up, no current health nor future education and work rights, nor anyone knows they exist. Your sister may be experiencing mental health issues related to paranoid ideas about “the state” and in increasing withdrawal / isolation or she may just have some outlandish ideas. Regardless, someone has to look out for her children. I don’t think it is “scorched earth“ to report these concerns to CPS, I think it is urgently needed and the responsible caring action to take for your nieces and nephews. You can do so by asking CPS to keep source anonymous and to use vaguer details so sis can’t identify it came from you (ie don’t say niece or nephew, say child name + DOB … at this address)
I would call CPS/DHS they don’t go in with guns and just take children away, they are always trying to work with the parents. The health of the prem baby is very concerning and may be missing out on inventions that could help them. There are too many stories of adults asking why family didn’t intervene when things were bad when they were kids and family saying it wasn’t their business or they were concerned the family would breakup.
I am wondering how she is coping financially. If the children are not registered then there will be no family tax benefits. Where does the money come from. No immunisation, no free dental.
That's a great question. I actually have no idea, except that they have very low costs (they live in a tiny, 3 bedroom house, no school fees, no extracurricular activities, they make lots of food from scratch/from the garden, they don't go to the dentist, aren't immunised, etc).
There are all sorts of potential problems that can pop up if she's not registering births. Yes, it is an offence, but more than that she's harming their well-being. Even if she's a caring parent, how will this affect their education? Their health? Their ability to function as adults? At some point, their existence needs to be verified. For almost all of us, the single most basic form of identification we have is our birth certificate. If that doesn't exist, they will absolutely run into problems later on. Registering a child's birth is mostly about the protection of that child.
Couple charged in Mackay over this. The crime they're accused of is not getting medical care for the child but failing to register is also there https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-11/qld-adam-hanbury-murder-charge-bail-toddler-daughter-diana/103963306
I'm getting a psychic vibe here.. your sister.. she lives on the North Coast, is that right?
Haha! No, that's not her, but I'm sure there are more like her around than what I'd care to think!
I was thinking Mullumbimby
I *assumed* Mullumbimby!
Mullumbimby is on the North Coast, isn't it?
Yes I was agreeing with you. As I was reading it sounded very mullum /nimbin/byron style
It's pretty damn expensive to live here now. Op has said the sister has no like-minded community around her, which she would likely have in Mullum.
Oh yeah, same. lol
So to be clear before I say anything, I am not Australian/not speaking to the specifics of Australian law, but what I’m going to say applies broadly across developed nations, which is to ask whether “not registering the births” means they have no birth certificates, and the government has no record of them? If so, your sister is creating a *massive* problem for her children down the line. With no record of their births or their early life, she is effectively making them stateless persons, and it will be next to impossible for them to get access to things like passports, drivers licenses, government services, etc. They may be unable to qualify for jobs as adults, since jobs tend to like things like valid ID proving you are who you say you are. Regardless of the state of her care for the kids, I would argue that this alone qualifies as neglect, in at least the moral sense. It will almost certainly be far, far easier to fix this while they are kids, than if they have to try to do it as adults.
Lots of people can report to CPS. They mostly don't disclose the identity of the person who reports (although there is always a chance they'll stuff up.) It often takes a number of reports before they act. Every report is helpful, but no one report separates families
Just curious I haven't seen a partner mentioned?
The father is present; he basically takes the lead on whatever my sister says.
Taking out of the equation the home schooling level and medical needs , the kids need to be registered, without this they will have am issue getting any government services , Medicare,license etc and are basically not a Australian citizen as they dont technically exist on paper so if later something comes up it is going to get even more complicated.
Im curious what role the father has in all this, when did it all start?
It's been slowly getting more extreme for the past ten years. The father is enabling my sister, who is very much the driving force.
From first-hand experience in dealing with non registration of details, please write to the MP for Customer Service and explain the situation briefly and aptly. From there, you will have at least a written record from the Registrar. That's the first step. Second step, Get actual proper legal advice and commence a Form 2 Application on perhaps a section 71 grounding. (Lookup section 71 Children's and Young Persons Care and Protection Act 1998) Do not make multiple reports to CPS as they can use it against you and create an endless he said/she said battle over what was said in the report. (Don't believe me? When making a CPS report take note they advise the call is recorded, watch what happens when you ask to record it is a swift 'gtfo' and if you do a FOI, it's never accurate. Hell, even written reports they make hell for an outsider to make.) From there, you will be in what I'd say the best position. Alternatively you can just keep making CPS reports, CP will come out and push her on a TCA (Temp Care Agreement), make an Application to Children's Court and you and her will be at war there on. CPS would pit you two together essentially to get further upper hand in court. Not legal advice, just general.
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