Copy
View this email in your browser
Disability Royal Commission
Update
Melbourne Hearing
Hi All,

As you may be aware, last week the Disability Royal Commission held a Hearing on group homes.

To coincide with the Hearing the Royal Commission released and Issues Paper on group homes which you can find here.

There is a list of questions included in the Issues Paper, which you can respond to by 28 February 2020, to help people who want to make a contribution.

You don’t need to answer all the questions, and Submissions on people’s experiences in group homes can still be submitted after this date.
There are approximately 17,000 people with disability living in group homes across Australia.

Last week the Commission heard evidence of abuse of people living in these homes, abuse that is continuing even today.

Some of the themes that were heard were about lack of choice and control that people living in group homes have.
  • The lack of homes to choose,
  • the lack of choice of who you live with
  • not being able to choose the staff that look after you and provide personal care, and
  • how a person entering a group home is forced to fit in with the routine of the house without consideration of individual needs and wishes.
The increasing casualisation of staff was also evidenced as a concern. A high turnover of staff means that new staff entering the house have little or no knowledge of each resident’s needs and required supports.

The Commission also heard many stories about neglect in care leading to abuse, sexual assault and long-term injury.
If you would like to find out more, transcripts of the Melbourne Hearings can be found here.

What's next?

The Royal Commission Chair Sackville concluded the Hearing by stating that the next Public Hearing will be held in Sydney in February 2020 and will deal with the issue of access for people with cognitive disability to health services and the outcomes.

Early next year we hope to invite advocates to an information session where we can provide an in depth update and answer any questions you may have regarding the Royal Commission.
Twitter
Facebook
Website
Copyright © 2019 North East Citizen Advocacy Inc, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp