A supervision order application was re-entered in a rural town for a teenager who suffered from a serious medical condition, where the parents were rejecting conventional medical treatment. The original supervision order had been made a number of months before and was re-entered because of some of the directions that had been made at the time.
The court was informed that the teenager, now 17, had been outside the jurisdiction. The parents, who were immigrants, had provided an undertaking that they would not interfere with the social work visits and they had been informed that there was a need for them to engage with the process. The social workers struggled to engage with them. The social worker required another support worker to accompany her to the family home to conduct the required reviews and assessments.
The parents had agreed to accommodate a doctor’s visit for the teenager. Previously the teenager and parents had not attended medical appointments. The teenager had been diagnosed with a serious medical condition which the parents were refusing to allow be treated and sought to use alternative medicine, including herbs, to treat the teenager.
The court was told that the GAL had quite a positive relationship with the parents.
The judge put the case back for one week and ordered that confirmation be provided on the next date that the teenager saw a medical professional and had either been referred or had actually visited that professional. The court wanted to see progress and was very unhappy with the progress that had been made. The judge said it was an unprecedented situation with a laissez-faire attitude by the parents.
The GAL said she had been involved in the case conference and had gained access to the home on two occasions. She said the family were very anxious and fearful and that they had been shocked by the medical diagnosis of the teenager. She said the parents had informed her that they were open to meeting another doctor and that the scan that had been done would be shared.
The family were against the usual treatment for such a condition and were more in favour of herbal remedies. The GAL said the teenager’s health had improved somewhat and she was able to manage the stairs and the pain.
She said the girl was articulate and had no previous issues at her secondary school but that she was not currently in school as she was focusing on her health issues. The GAL said the teenager grasped the concepts surrounding the case.
The judge said that the case was urgent and was serious. She wanted an updated medical report for the next week and she said that there had been a lot of obstruction in the case and the State might need to consider taking a further step.
The judge retained seisin of the case and adjourned it for one week to allow for an updated medical report to be provided.