A PROMINENT Adelaide family had their foster child of seven years ripped from their home with only an hour’s notice just weeks before Chloe Valentine died

The family and child advocates say it is “sickening” the government department responsible for protecting children put resources into taking this child away from a loving and caring home while leaving another in a toxic environment that led to her death.

Graeme and Jacqueline Bowden, known for their family business Keith Bowden Electrical which Graeme took over from his late father, opened their eastern suburbs home to a 10-month-old baby girl in 2003 whom they love and adore.

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READ MORE: Chloe’s death needs open inquiry

She was older sister to their daughter Maya-Rose, 7, sent to a prestigious Adelaide private school and provided one-on-one tutoring to support her learning.

But on December 12, 2011, the Bowdens received a call to meet with Families SA over concerns about their parenting.

At that meeting they were told the 7½-year-old, who they regarded as their daughter, was going to be removed from their home at 5.30pm — it was 4.30pm.

“It was like they were telling us she died. I just felt ill because I though ‘how will she get to sleep because each night I stroke her hair until she falls asleep,” Mrs Bowden said, breaking down in tears.

“It was 5.35pm when they took her. When she was on the front lawn she said ‘see you tomorrow mum’ that just broke my heart because she didn’t understand what was happening.”

The Bowdens were told the child was being removed because the family could not “provide for her future emotional needs”.

The swift action by the department was in stark contrast to the case of four-year-old Chloe who died in January 2012, after she repeatedly tumbled off a 50kg motorbike while under family supervision.

Families SA had received 22 notifications about Chloe before she died, while families and friends had pleaded with authorities to remove her from her mother.

Since the Bowden’s foster child was taken away they have had about 20 supervised visits with her but it’s now been 132 days since they last saw her. Since leaving the Bowdens’ home, the child has been moved through a series of carers.

Mrs Bowden said despite having their case reviewed she said they were never able to see all the documentation of the claims against them and felt the case was constantly being stacked against them.

Child protection expert Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs said the department’s priorities were all wrong — leaving children in bad homes with their biological families but quickly moving them from foster home to foster home.

“Children are left in bad homes (with biological mothers and fathers) for too long. The department calls it ‘good enough parenting’,” Prof Briggs said.

“I was at a meeting they (the Bowdens) were told by Families SA the reason the child was removed was because they couldn’t provide for her future emotional needs. I asked them ‘what are the future emotional needs?’

“You cannot predict future emotional needs.

“Unless it was that Families SA think ‘you’re a middle class family giving the child unrealistic expectations’. There is an anti-middle class element there.”

Prof Briggs explained there was little the family could do to appeal the decision.

“The department can make decisions and they cannot be challenged,” she said.

“They keep files on foster carers, recording complaints and issues that do not have to be proven, that the family can’t see and has no way of disputing.

“The Bowdens are the sort of people who obeyed the rules, informing the department of any incidents they needed and asked for support.

“But as most foster carers will tell you, ‘keep Families SA out of it’.”

This case was one that led Family First MLC Robert Brokenshire to push for another inquiry.

“It’s not only the Bowdens. I’m inundated with complaints about Families SA and how they manage their responsibilities across the spectrum of children, parents and foster parents,” he said.

Minister Jennifer Rankine’s response

EDUCATION and Child Development Minister Jennifer Rankine provided the following response to the Bowdens’ case, however, she did not respond to specific claims made by the family or how much time and resources were spent on the investigation:

media_camera Education Minister and Child Development Minister Jennifer Rankin

“The foster parents were offered many levels of support for years before the child was removed from their care.

“This support included the help of a psychologist and psychotherapist. They were also offered respite care — which they refused.

“The matter was the subject of an independent external review which upheld the Families SA decision.

“There has also been an investigation by the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner.

“I have been assured by the DECD’s deputy chief executive (child safety), David Waterford, that the right steps and procedures were followed.

“The community would expect that children under the care of the state receive only the best care and we make no apologies for that.”