Through the Eyes of a Foster
Child
My
Childhood in Over 30 New Zealand Homes
by Daryl Brougham
ISBN
978-0-9941135-9-7
RRP $24.99
“I felt powerless, stupid and worthless; I was just an
item that could be passed from pillar to post with no thought of my needs,
emotions or well-being.”
In 1990, at the age of ten, Daryl
Brougham was told by a social worker that he was useless and would end up in
jail.
By 1997, he had attended 27
schools, been through over 30 social workers and lived in more than 30
different foster homes. During his 18 years as a state ward he suffered
repeated sexual, physical, emotional and psychological abuse.
Imagine coming home to be told
you are moving somewhere new in half an hour. Imagine being forced to eat a
spider. Imagine drinking from the toilet bowl because you’re too scared to go
near the kitchen. Imagine what you would become after all those years of living
in fear and loneliness.
Rising above all the abuse, Daryl
proved that social worker wrong. He didn’t end up in prison. Instead, he vowed
to become a better social worker than his detractor. He studied social work at
Te W?nanga o Aotearoa in Mangere and graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work
(Biculturalism in Practice).
In 2015, he received an official
apology from the Ministry of Social Development for a litany of errors,
including failure to follow their own procedures and placing him with unapproved
caregivers.
Through the eyes of a foster
child is the story of Daryl’s journey.
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Daryl Brougham was born in
Auckland in 1979 and is affiliated to Tainui–Ngati Maniapoto. Having survived
eighteen years of state care, he is determined to improve the social welfare
system from within. He took time out to study both care of the elderly and
facilities management before starting his degree. In 2009, he was awarded a
Deputy Chief of Navy Commendation from NZDF. Daryl lives in Auckland with his
wife Emily and two lovely daughters.
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