Dream, Evelyn and Xanthe
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Xanthe is a First Nations woman in her 30s. She has a mild intellectual disability and, since a government department removed her children from her care, lives with complex trauma and anxiety.
One of her daughters, Dream, has an intellectual disability and is in primary school. Another daughter, Evelyn, is a toddler.
‘They took the kids because of my disability,’ Xanthe told the Royal Commission. ‘They had no evidence to take [Dream]. They took her from school, didn’t tell me.’
Xanthe said the department took Evelyn soon after she was born.
‘I had all my disability supports in place … I had everything from hospital saying I was doing everything right, even from my Aboriginal doctors. They were actually quite disgusted because I was home for five days and [the department] took her at nine days old.’
Xanthe said she abused alcohol when she was younger, but she’s since ‘changed and become a better person’. She said the department officers agreed with her.
‘They said, “Yes, you’ve changed.” And then they come and take your newborn and go, “We don’t think you’ve changed” … They never were in it to help me at all. So, I just feel that they don’t help. They just want to take the kids instead of putting the appropriate supports in place.’
Xanthe and Dream both receive NDIS support.
‘My workers know that I’m not a bad parent, and they see you day in day out with those kids. And they know that I look after them and what’s best for them.’
Xanthe said the department officers, however, treat her like she knows nothing.
‘I know a lot more than what they think. And I would never put my kids in harm’s way. I just want my girls more and that’s all I want. I miss out on Christmases and birthdays. And I don’t get to see them on my birthday. I don’t get to see them on Christmas Day. I don’t get to have them for a sleepover.’
Xanthe said the department placed her daughters in the care of her mother, who she said made her out to be ‘a bad person’.
‘When in actual fact she couldn’t parent me. Like, because I had a disability, nothing was ever good enough for them … my mum telling me I deserved everything I got … and I’d amount to nothing.’
Xanthe only sees her children once a month.
‘It’s not enough … I love them very much. And [Dream] wants to come home and she’s asking for help and no-one’s listening.’
Xanthe said she’s now training to be a youth worker ‘to make a change’.
‘I don’t want kids to be taken for no reason.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.