More than 30,000 people have signed a petition calling for a law that any child who is brought to a doctor with suspected abuse injuries should not be sent home, but, according to one report, the Child Safety Minister has said that a system was already in place for this to occur.
The petition was started after Queensland child, Mason Jet Lee (pictured above), was found dead in his home on June 11. Various people were charged in relation to his death.
The petition asserts that, "No child who is referred by a doctor as having sustained injuries intentionally inflicted or sexual in nature will be sent home until a full investigation is completed."
However, according to one report, Minister Shannon Fentiman has said there was already a protocol in place to deal with issues of patients with suspected abuse.
In August, the Courier Mail (TCM) reported that Ms Fentiman had said, “I know Queenslanders want answers. I do, too. That is why an independent, expert panel is reviewing every detail of this case. I have already committed to implementing any recommendations it makes.”
“Without commenting on any specific case, a Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) team made up of medical professionals, police and child safety officers is required to jointly consider whether or not it is safe for an injured child to return home. In addition, we are currently reviewing the Child Protection Act and will consider this matter as part of that process."
TCM has also reported that Shadow Child Safety Minister Ros Bates has said the system was broken.
“When the system isn’t working to keep our children safe and frontline officers are stretched to the limit, it seems everyday Queenslanders are left to send a strong message to those in charge and stand up for our most vulnerable,” Ms Bates said.
The exact text of the petition authored by Alicia Duvall can be seen at GoPetition and is as follows:
"We the undersigned call on the Queensland Department of The Premier And Cabinet to present this petition in Parliament and pass a law that:
No child who is referred by a doctor as having sustained injuries intentionally inflicted or sexual in nature will be sent home until a full investigation is completed. When a medical professional or Hospital reports the likelihood of abuse that such a report will be treated in the same manner as a 000 phone call: A LIFE AT RISK, so that these children will be treated as a priority emergency."
Sources: Emma Williams, Caboolture Shire Herald reproduced in the TCM, http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/moreton/child-safety-minister-responds-to-push-for-mason-jet-lee-law/news-story/f25152a40bb22bfeb383fca149c60651
Alicia Duvall, author of the petition, Child Safety Petition: Mason Jet Lee's Law https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/masons-law.html