In brief
- A damning Queensland Ombudsman report details 20 years of interactions between state health staff and two disabled brothers.
- In 2020, the brothers were found unclothed and severely malnourished, close to their dead father.
Two severely disabled brothers were discovered in a state of starvation and neglect near their deceased father, after years of missed intervention opportunities by authorities.
A critical report from the Queensland Ombudsman has unveiled a two-decade-long history of interactions between state health officials and the brothers, identified as Kaleb and Jonathon.
The brothers, who have significant developmental delays and intellectual disabilities, possess minimal verbal communication skills.
In May 2020, Kaleb and Jonathon were found unclothed and suffering from severe malnutrition in a filthy room.
Their father, who served as their primary caregiver, was found deceased in the same residence.
Now in their early 20s, Kaleb and Jonathon were hospitalized and received treatment for their malnourished condition.
They are now in state care.
The report said Queensland Health staff had concerns for the boys’ safety and wellbeing from birth.
The boys were born in 2000 and 2003, respectively.
In their early years, several child protection reports were made to the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety.
Staff did not always follow up on their failure to attend and no further reports were made to Child Safety.
The report made 13 recommendations, saying Queensland Health needed to provide staff with clearer information about how to identify and respond to child protection concerns.
It highlighted staff needed clearer guidance on concepts like cumulative harm, parent behaviour and neglect of medical care.
It also highlighted the need for improvement of information management systems.
The case was examined at the disability royal commission in 2023, looking at how and why the boys experienced violence, abuse and neglect.
The Queensland government delivered a formal apology for omissions in preventing harm the boys experienced in September 2023, as part of the commission’s recommendations.
The ombudsman’s report is the third in a series examining the multi-departmental failure to ensure the boys’ safety and wellbeing.
Previous reports have criticised the Department of Education and Department of Housing and Public Works for their roles in the case.
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