Dangerously unprepared’: Disability workers feeling unsafe during COVID-19 pandemic
Disability support workers have had poor access to personal protective equipment and other health precautions during the pandemic, a new survey reveals.
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Carer accused of filming and abusing disabled children
A disability carer allegedly secretly filmed videos of himself physically and verbally abusing five vulnerable adults and sexually abusing two children in western Sydne
People with disability left behind in Covid-19 response
While the Australian Government has a targeted response for the aged care sector, Professor Dickinson said this is not the case for the disability sector. “Both sectors have many similarities including congregated settings, a precariously employed and inadequately trained care workforce, and families and carers who may face significant challenges meeting the care needs of people with disability in Australia,” Professor Dickinson said.
Coronavirus support for disability sector ‘absolutely appalling’, Steele-John says
As a growing number of businesses and services shutdown in response to the COVID-19 the disability sector says it’s increasingly vulnerable. The Australian Greens are calling for an emergency plan for a stand-by workforce for the sector.
The second NDIS shock absorber: The disability workforce
The NDIS has fundamentally changed the nature of work in this sector, and the reality is that the current funding model is failing to attract and retain a qualified, motivated and suitably compensated workforce, writes Fran Connelley.
NDIS watchdog is fielding nearly 100 allegations of abuse or neglect a week
Disability advocate says figures from the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission ‘are truly awful and sickening’. Australia’s disabilities services watchdog is fielding nearly 100 allegations of abuse or neglect a week, while NDIS providers admitted restraining participants 6,000 times without proper authorisation in the first three months since the NDIS commission’s national expansion.
Disabled ‘abused, in fear’ in group homes
People with disability continue to be abused and live in fear in group homes over which they have little say. Advocate Kevin Stone says the overwhelming majority of group homes are safe and supportive, but the problems of abuse and neglect persist.
After 12 months, NDIS commission still hasn’t answered family’s questions about son’s bruises
In October 2018, the family of a severely disabled man became so concerned about bruises he was suffering while living in full-time care that they asked for them to be investigated. Almost a year later, the Donaldsons are still waiting for a finding into what happened to Sam Donaldson, who is 33, non-verbal, and, due to his mental disability and severe autism, functions more like a three-year-old.
Why agility is the key for NDIS’ shifting goal posts
It is this process of now receiving funding for individuals under their specific plans that is not only forcing change on how NFPs deliver their service but is also creating a significant change in the administration and record keeping requirements of these organisations.
Royal commission into disability abuse was a decade in the making, but the time is ripe for change
The royal commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with a disability marks the seventh such inquiry in six years. For Sandy Guy this announcement has been a decade in the making.
The NDIS is not Medicare
In times of massive change it is an organisation’s culture that holds it together or splits it apart. It is culture, not pricing, that should determine the working environment: whether rosters are fair, whether workplaces are safe, and whether a quality service is being delivered to the customer.
National database to ensure safe and quality workers for NDIS participants
The NDIS Worker Screening Database, introduced into Federal Parliament will offer a nationally consistent approach to screening people who work alongside NDIS participants.
Report on Government Services 2019
This is a recurring report.
Part F, chapter 15 includes Services for People with Disability. This chapter reports on the Australian, State and Territory governments’ assistance provided to people with disability and their carers.
Trauma-informed Care and Practice Organisational Toolkit (TICPOT)
A FREE quality improvement audit and implementation resource for developing a trauma-informed organisational and practice culture.
Poor disability support practices highlighted
The DSC (Disability Services Commissioner) 2018 annual report and review of disability service provision to people who have died 2017–18 was tabled in Victorian Parliament on the 19/12/2018.