Those who have been lost along the way - assaults and deaths in Care it should not happen...
A 16 month preschooler dies and there are prosecution charges laid against the Berry Patch preschool.Yet What about 20 year old autistic girl with epilepsy, Merna Petrus who died in the care of an Afford disability house last year, allowed to drown in her bath unsupervised, when it was specified by her mother that she needed supervision - where is the investigation and prosecution of that organization by police? There has been none.
Ann Marie Smith's death recently led to the charges of manslaughter being laid against the woman who let her die and the banning of Integrity Care. The neglect was so obvious in happening over a year.
Yet nothing has happened to the Afford Organization which let a girl die in their 'care' who should not have. Eager to get their hands on disabilities money service providers do not even give the care and protection to the ones they say they will care for. They leave parents of disability children dismayed and afraid of what might happen to their even adult children in care. There needs to be regulation of disabilities services and punishments where care has not been given or abuse and neglect has occurred just like there is in the Childcare system.
The 16 month old toddler who died at the Berry Patch Preschool - was found unresponsive during nap time and was rushed to Westmead hospital where she could not be revived in 2018 - her case recently has been investigated further and brought about charges to the preschool.
Whereas the preschool had said it was a medical episode that caused the death of the little girl, now investigation that has taken two years has led to criminal charges laid against Berry Patch which has preschools in five Sydney Centres (Kate Lockley September 11th 2020 Daily Telegraph). Thank God it got investigated - how many are not? Especially those who do not die but are hurt in places of care even more in disabilities accommodation, respite or day programmes where the children and adults being looked after cannot speak up for themselves?
Prosecutors found that the subsequent investigation led to criminal charges after it was revealed the childcare centre failed to take adequate and sufficient checks of children in the centre's cot rooms relying instead on CCTV and audio monitors rather than conducting physical cot checks and made checks at longer than recommended intervals. They relied on technology too much...Yes cameras for preschools and when a preschooler dies these cameras catch worker negligence out - no arguments about privacy for preschools.
So here I am lobbying for cameras for disabilities persons in respite and in care - and this preschool berry patch relied too much on their CCTV and cameras - which can never replace a human checking on a child of course. At least they had cameras to find out why the poor little toddler died!
If they had not had those CCTV cameras prosecutors, police and authorities or those investigating this would not have known or had proof that the babies were not being checked often enough. Because the CCTV cameras gave the hard evidence of the centre's neglect otherwise the workers and organization could have lied and said that they did check the babies enough.
When my son was assaulted at the respite house where he was for the day - the police asked if there was camera footage to check and I said no - they said with no CCTV evidence there was no crime.
They closed off investigation due to no evidence except obviously the swollen head of my son and the bruising that stayed for 6 to 10 months. The police were not interested in investigating or even questioning the worker. Go figure. That's their justice for a disability person being harmed in care.
Yes they have cameras in childcare but not in disability care! where are all the arguments about privacy for the preschoolers now? Dont they deserve privacy - actually they deserve protection from negligent carers or child care workers and organizations just like disabilities kids and adults deserve, who cannot speak or defend themselves just as babies cannot and are at the mercy of those who look after them.
The toddler who died at Berry Patch at least got investigation into her case whereas those such as Merna Petrus who died last year at Afford Disability house has not had investigations continue and prosecutions by the justice system occur at all. Why is that? Why has there been a prosecution for the death of a preschool toddler in care but not a disability girl in care who died also? Why is there such disparity in the legal and justice system for addressing the deaths of those in care?
The young woman, Merna who was 20, was Autistic with epilepsy, she should have been supervised while having a bath and drowned in their 'care' the care of Afford disabilities. Yet Afford is allowed to continue running services for other disability vulnerable persons (poor sods) while Afford let Merna die. Perhaps it suits its name and is only about business and money not about care at all like many of the other disability care providers!
Where was the fine or prosecution for this disability organization? Why was Afford not suspended after this girl's death? Her mother had to hire a private investigator. Merna drowned being left alone in the bathroom again not checked - just like the preschooler was not checked at the preschool centre, the Afford house workers left her alone in the bath, all the while yet knowing she needed supervision because of epilepsy fits at all times especially in baths and showers.
Again without evidence like cameras even outside the bathroom and in lounges to see how often workers checked her how would police trully know what happened?They should still investigate further and not just leave it because its too hard to both. Relying on the words of a disability organization and workers who may lie and often do to cover their tracks when an incident occurs. Police have not even charged the Afford disability workers or house for anything! Whereas they had let a girl die in their care. Doing nothing is a crime in itself.
The fact that this young girl died should have been enough to spark intense investigation by the police which should have continued - just like the toddler at Berry Patch it should be a given. There should be criminal prosecution for what happened in the neglect of care of Merna Petrus.
The discrimination the justice system against those who have disabilities is again apparent...
the police are not investigating?- where are they? What happened to this young girl who still had her life before her and has been lost from her mother who is racked with grief and loss and siblings who must bear this sorrow while there is no investigation by the criminal prosecutors. The fact there was a death should have caused proper investigation to occur. How dare they do not continue to investigate this carer crime.
Note in a recent article there has been only one fine in disabilities despite 8000 complaints - and that was due to the death of Ann Marie Smith - Integrity care fined and banned as it should be and the carer woman herself charged with manslaughter for the huge neglect unto death of Ann Marie and yet to be prosecuted...
The disparity between disabilities and childcare justice and law is great. Those who die in disabilities care should have the same address and investigation as those in childcare since they are as vulnerable as children. We need laws to protect the non verbal and vulnerable disability persons we cannot let them go unprotected.
Those organizations like Afford do not do their job of care and protection and let these ones like Merna die must be punished and penalized in some way... they left her alone to drown in a bath instead of taking care of her. The managers of the Afford home should be doing prison time and the organization fined and banned just like Integrity care at the least.
The organization will likely continue to lie to cover up all that has happened of course. However, you cannot let this happen on your watch and walk away. Justice must come for Merna this must not be allowed to rest!
Just as Ann Marie Smith's death was a terrible indictment on carer organizations and the NDIS lack of interest and human care - there were also no cameras to catch the carer's activities or time spent with Ann Marie but at least now she is charged with manslaughter after the death of the helpless one she was meant to be caring for - poor Ann Marie - alone against the wiles and neglect of a greedy stealing so called carer.
It was noted that Integrity Care (subcontracted by Anglicare) now banned yet the SA directors of this company have started up two other organizations under their names.(Advertiser September 9th 2020) the deviancy never ends even after death of a person in their care!
The same Integrity cAre has hidden their tracks and refused to help with investigations in Ann Marie Smith's death by the state task force and former Judge Alan Robertson leading an independent review appointed by NDIS quality commission. Superintendent Bray said Integrity care Staff and directors would not answer 'the simplest questions' (Eugen Boiusvert ABC news September 8th 2020). The police had to raid Integrity Care since it did not have the integrity to co-operate with the investigation.
The deviancy even criminal deviancy by carer organizations is shocking. How can be trust them with our children? there should always be investigation into the harm and deaths that occur in these place. There should also be systemic checks of organizations not going on hearsay but checking into each Carer organization on a regular basis this covering up and neglect and allowing of workers to hurt or neglect our children must be stopped!
For the sake of Ann marie Smith, and Merna Petrus there needs to be justice and these innocent ones are whose blood is on the hands of our federal government and their NDIS heartless organization that does not listen to anything but money - the blood of these helpless ones rests on them for refusing to care or take action to protect our adult children properly who cannot defend themselves from those uncaring workers.
Accountablility must be stepped up in the Disability sector. Cameras help with hard evidence and new laws are needed to make investigation mandatory of any deaths or harm that occurs in disability care and accommodation just as happens in preschools or they remain able to get away with it and there is no deterrence of proper care occurring.
As noted by journalist Rob Harris (September 17th, 2020) despite 8000 complaints over disability care only one fine was given and one prosecution and that was for Ann Marie Smith after she died - then Integrity got fined $12,000 yet for all the complaints that was the only fine given to a carer organization. What is the ndis quality and care doing is it asleep is it made of stone? You make your money while those who are vulnerable and helpless suffer and there is not accountability being made by disability money maker organizations.
Stuart Robert should be ashamed of himself for being so oblivious and uncaring toward those he was meant to be running an organization to care for NDIS has been hard and cold. His own day of reckoning will surely come in life.
Disabilities need stronger laws, we need penalties and punishments for those who hurt disability persons th and we need cameras to catch them with hard evidence. If childcare can have cameras disability care can have cameras. We need equal justice for those with disabilities. WE must bring an end to discrimination and the lack of address by NDIS and police to disability incidents of assaults and deaths that should not have happened and have left families broken and in despair. .
Anndrea Wheatley x