Broken Fathers Podcast

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Episode 31
Guest - Len Jessop & his partner Angela 
On this episode I am joined by author of A Lethal Phobia, Len Jessop, and his partner Angela — who wrote the foreword to the book.
Len is a father who has not seen his children in nearly three years. His love for them has never waned, his door remains open to them forever, and he is so proud of them both.
Shaped by a stoic father and a mother with a heart of gold, Len's personal story is one of sacrifice, resilience, and defiant endurance. We also find time to talk about rugby league.
In this conversation we cover the domestic violence industry and the uncomfortable truth that deaths are rising despite record funding. We discuss a peculiar and largely unknown Queensland law that Len believes represents a genuine risk to anyone accused under it.
We talk about how compliance, self preservation, and institutional preservation consistently appear to take precedence over uncomfortable facts — and why those who challenge the accepted narrative so rarely find institutional support for doing so.
We talk about the designed machine — Len's argument that the system is not broken but functioning exactly as intended. His criticism is directed at systems and institutions rather than individuals — and that distinction matters.
We discuss perception versus reality — and the framework Len developed for getting closer to truth. Base Reality plus Context plus Cui Bono.
He talks about choosing life when the darkness was at its deepest and why he believes nobody should throw away their ticket.
This is an honest, evidence based, and at times confronting conversation about a system that affects far more families than most Australians realise.
His book — A Lethal Phobia — is available now at alethophobia.com.
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Episode 31
Guest - Leana Carter
In this week's episode, I speak with Leana Carter (a pseudonym used to protect her identity), who worked for DV Connect for over five years. With her voice altered for safety, Leana reveals the internal operations of the organization and discusses what she describes as a significant gender bias.
While DV Connect’s mission is to provide safety, transport, and crisis support for Queenslanders, Leana highlights several concerns regarding equality and workplace culture:
* Operational Discrepancies: The women’s crisis line operates 24/7, while the men’s line is only available from 9:00 AM to midnight.
* Training and Gender Lens: Leana discusses the employee training manual, which she claims focuses exclusively on a female-centric "gender lens." She explains that staff are trained from recognizing men as victims and that challenging this perspective can lead to termination.
* Internal Culture: The episode covers allegations of a "man-hating" culture, illegal "perp checks" on personal acquaintances, and high employee turnover.
* Funding and KPIs: We discuss how the organization meets specific quotas to maintain funding requirements.
* Triage and Procedures: Leana explains the three-tier system—from the initial 10-minute screening call to phone-based intake and finally shelter placement—and the challenges involving male children over the age of 12.
* System Manipulation and Misconduct: The conversation touches on how the system is exploited for payouts through Victims Assist QLD (VAQ), as well as allegations of a serious drug culture within the office. She references one case where one woman got paid $100,000 on year.
* Dug Culture: Leana talks about the bad Drug culture that happens in the office. There is a serious cocaine problem not only being used but also being dealt.
This episode offers a candid look at the government narrative that only women can be victims and the reality behind the scenes of the so called "Equality" of DV.
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Episode 30
Guest - Darren Caulfield & Lilly McEldowney
On today’s episode for the first time ever on BFP, I am joined with 54-year-old Father of three Darren and by his side is his 21 year old daughter Lilly. 
In 2016, Darren Caulfield, a single father of three beautiful children wanted to create a private, safe, and neutral environment for parents and families who are going through difficult times to spend time with their children.
Darren, together with his mother, Pamela Caulfield, an experienced Social Worker who has over 30 years of experience working in the Indigenous, migrant, and community services sector, established Lilly Pilly to meet this need.
Darren is a Nationally Accredited AMDRAS Mediator, Accredited with the Australian Mediation Association and a Parenting Coordinator with Parenting Coordination Australia.
The inspiration of Lilly Pilly is Lilly McEldowney (nee. Caulfield). Lilly’s mum and dad (yes, Darren) separated when she was very young. Lilly was the original child representative on the Lilly Pilly Board.
Lilly comes from a Child Care background and is currently completing her Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution to become a Registered FDRP with the Attorney-General’s Department.
Lilly most recently spoke at the “ Queensland Families and Children Commission 2026 Youth Summitt”. Both Darren and Lilly are Qualified Justices of the Peace, JP (Qual). Lilly Pilly is very proud to have a ‘child representative’ in their constitution who sits on the board that represents the children of separated families. 
Darren, a Brisbane native who moved to Townsville at 15. After working in the mines in New Guinea, Darren returned to Townsville to attend James Cook University, where he met his Lilly's mother at age 30.
Three years into that relationship, their daughter, Lily, was born. Darren recounts the day he returned home to find a note stating that his partner and Lily had left, leading him to reflect on whether his work schedule contributed to the separation.
Over the next two years, Darren fought to stay in Lily’s life, making 112 round-trip flights to Townsville in the first year and 144 in the second year. By age three, Lilly was a Qantas Gold member; the airline staff knew them so well they even gifted Lilly a Dora the Explorer doll for Christmas. We also discuss these events in the context of the Howard Government's family law reforms regarding shared parental responsibility.
Five years later, Darren met a teacher at Lily’s school, with whom he had two sons. Unfortunately, that relationship also ended, and in 2014, Darren began a two-year legal battle to secure a judgment regarding his boys.
Darren, who opened his own supervision contact centre in 2016 after navigating the challenges of the family court system. In this episode, we delve into the operations of supervision centres, covering essential topics such as: 
- Intake processes and initial risk assessments.
- Determining required supervision levels.
- Handling corrections and child safety matters (low-risk vs. high-risk).
- Protocol for Amber Alerts and non-returns.
- The differences between privately owned and government-funded centres.
- Managing reports, notes, and subpoenas.
- General policies and procedures. 
Darren emphasizes that their role is not to dictate parenting styles, but to provide a safe environment, supported by 26 cameras across the property. We also answer specific questions submitted by my followers.
Additionally, I speak with Lilly about her journey from law student to childcare professional. She shares her story of finding her calling in education and her personal life since high school.
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Episode 29
Guest - Rodney Joyce
On this episode, I am joined by Rodney Joyce, a 57-year-old father of three from Ballina. Rodney shares the deeply personal story of fighting for his children and the struggles with mediation.
After separating from his first partner when his daughter was 4 years old, Rodney found co-parenting manageable until his daughter turned eight and contact was abruptly cut off. He describes his experience with mediation and explains why he found the process ineffective for his situation.
He recalls the heartbreaking experience of waiting for his daughter on Christmas Day, only to be told she would not be coming.
After meeting his second partner, they welcomed a son a year later. However, challenges soon emerged within the relationship. Rodney discusses these difficulties, including a traumatic assault that resulted in a police-issued protection order for his safety. He also details the subsequent legal battle in the NSW Children’s Court involving fabricated allegations.
 Rodney opens up about a difficult event where he received a letter claiming he had abducted his son. This situation unfortunately resulted in Rodney’s family having to drive his son to the airport to hand him over to his ex-partner. On a lighter note, Rodney also shares his experiences with his lawyer, jokingly referencing the character "Dennis Denuto" from the 1997 Australian film, The Castle.
Furthermore, Rodney touches on his 24-year journey of paying child support, the sacrifices he made to provide for his daughter, and his subsequent fight to recover funds owed to him.
 Today, Rodney has been happily married for 17 years. He is grateful to have all three of his children in his life and credits his beloved staffy, who was by his side for 17 years, for helping him through his darkest times.
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Episode 26
Guest - Alex Johnson
In this week’s episode, I am joined by Alex Johnson, a long-term employee at Child Support. Please note that to protect my guest's identity, I have changed their name and altered their voice.
When I announced this interview and asked for your input, I received over 500 questions across all platforms. I am pleased to share that we managed to cover nearly 80% of the topics you requested.
 During our conversation, my guest agrees that the Child Support formula needs to be updated. They explain that the agency can typically only backdate three months of arrears, extending to nine months only under special circumstances.
We also discuss a wide range of topics, including:
- ART & TRIP (Tax Return Intercept Process)
Centrelink payments and domestic violence exemptions
- Maximum income thresholds ($232,843.00)
- The six formulas used in an assessment
- Section 106A
- Staff burnout and the training provided when mistakes occur
- The backlog of objections and Change of Assessments (COA)
- 28-day time frame for objections
- Why court orders can be "rinse and repeat" & how to avoid wasting time
- The impact of withholding children without justification
- Business rules and regular care
- Understaffing and resource shortages within the CSA
- The Telecommunications Act regarding recording calls
- Debt offsets and late penalty fees (and where those fees go)
- Why the CSA will not pause payments
- How payments adjust when a child turns 18
- The challenges of working within the agency
- MTAWE (Male Total Average Weekly Earnings) in child support assessments
- Garnishing / freezing accounts
- Different departments in child support
- Paying parent vs Receiving Parent
- Private arrangements
- Family court issues vs Child Support Issues
- Overdue child support / Departure Prohibition Orders (DPO)
- Reporting income (Incrementally)
- CSA staff receive intense 12 weeks initial training package
If you are struggling to navigate the child support system, this is an episode you don't want to miss. We cover a wide range of topics, and it is likely that any questions or queries you have will be answered in this discussion.
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