THE Department of Community Services says it will review its procedures after a 13-year-old girl in its care went missing after caseworkers allowed her to travel alone on a train from Parramatta to Dunmore, near Wollongong.
Lauren Ryall's parents, who are separated, expressed fury yesterday at the department's action. Their daughter was discovered safe and well aboard a train to Cronulla late yesterday morning.
"It's the biggest relief of my life," said Lauren's mother, Judith Meredith, who had had custody of her daughter. "It still doesn't excuse what DOCS did. I'm so angry that that situation was able to arise."
Caseworkers from DOCS dropped Lauren at Parramatta station about 1.40pm on Monday. She was given a train ticket and lunch money and expected to travel to Dunmore station where caseworkers would receive her. But she failed to arrive.
On Tuesday night, Lauren briefly phoned her mother to inform her she was in Wyong with a friend. The friend was believed to be a 15-year-old girl who had been placed on the same train by DOCS.
Lauren's father, John Ryall, who lives in Mackay, was furious that his daughter was put on a train alone.
"I'm a crane driver and we've got a duty of care to people at work," he said. "If I put someone in that much danger I could lose my job. [DOCS] neglected to tell us for two days that [Lauren] was with a known runaway 15-year-old girl."
Mr Ryall said he had been unable to sleep at night while Lauren had been missing.
The department yesterday conceded it may have made a mistake. "Unfortunately, she did not go to the agreed destination and in hindsight there may have been a more appropriate response for this child," said Jennifer Mason, the director-general of DOCS. "We are looking at our procedures … to minimise the chances of this happening again."
Lauren was placed in the department's care last Sunday after she contacted Wollongong police and said she could not find her mother at home. Lauren had been at a friend's house since Friday night, and her mother was visiting her cousin's house when Lauren returned, Ms Meredith said. Police were duty-bound to report the matter to DOCS, Ms Meredith said.
Mr Ryall said that after taking custody, the department contacted him. "They were going to arrange for her to be kept until she could be sent up here to North Queensland to be with me [as agreed with Ms Meredith]," he said. "Next thing I hear, DOCS had put her on a train."
Mr Ryall said the department did not contact him again after Lauren went missing. He pledged to take action against DOCS over this incident. "I'm going to take these people apart … I'll need some legal help here."
