The Sunnyfields case - hurting a most vulnerable boy - we must protect them from harm...
This year May 25th 2021 an article from Canberra Times and Youth Witness notes the assault of a boy who was blind and had autism with severe intellectual disability, he was assaulted by a support worker in a New South Wales residential care home, Sunnyfields, and the article noted the inquiry by the Royal Commission stated that the Magistrate dropped the charges due to ‘lack of evidence’, (or should we say camera footage because that is the only evidence the justice system will listen to?)sign my petition change.org/disabilitycameras
Using substitute names at the inquiry, the mother of the boy, Sophia sat in the inquiry listening to what had happened for which another worker at spoken up as a witness to the alleged abuse of her son that happened in 2019 (the year my son was also assaulted at his respite stay for the day at Life without Barriers) her son is now 24 years old.
Sophia had to listen to the alleged treatment of her son, Carl, the article says for the first time hearing what happened to him. She said, “Hearing that a support worker has punched Carl, dragged him, pushed a chair over so that carl can fall off, I can only imagine how Carl felt, in those moments when it was happening. When there’s no mum and dad, no one else in sight to see what’s happening”
It is heart breaking for any mother when we try to protect our disability child who cannot speak from harm, no matter what age they are. They are innocent as lambs I call them that, because they cannot defend themselves, and they are not dangerous or aggressive especially in my son’s case and still the workers hurt them and worse even deny they did it. Naturally they lie, lie, lie.
Assault charges against the staffer were dismissed as I noted due to lack of evidence. Once more no justice for the attacks on the innocents.
The Royal Commission investigated accusations of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, focusing on the group home, in Western Sydney run by Sunnyfield Disability Services.
The Vulnerable Victim
This boy, Carl, was born blind, and has autism and severe intellectual disability – so vulnerable, he was left bleeding after an incident in a van which another worker blamed on an episode by Carl for stopping at a red traffic light. His mother Sophia, said the explanation was a little hard to believe.
This mother made a complaint to the NDIS quality and safety commission and was later contacted by the police. She told the inquiry she was never interviews by police investigators and the home has not apologized in person. Not only this but because Sophia had also heard from another support worker that a worker had made racist comments about middle eastern people regarding the Christchurch shooting that year at the mosques. The worker had said they would have shot all of them if he could. When reminded that Carl was middle eastern the worker said they did not care.
The betrayal
The mother of Carl said “It still shakes me because, you know, when we gave our son to …support providers we were trusting them is life…
They are our hands, our minds, they are there to protect them, to look after them to care for them…”
I know also that sense of betrayal myself…I trusted the workers at respite, I trusted the workers at my son James day program and when he came home with injuries in both those places, my blood ran cold from the violence of it inflicted on my son. The betrayal or sense of it is great, you thought they would care, you thought they would protect him but instead they attacked him. The sinister thought of the assault on him is almost too much to bear and when they lie about it becomes even worse and you as a parent get angry. The distress and anguish is shocking for a mother to endure. How could they? How could they hurt my son? And then walk away with no penalty or punishments? Police uninterested.
In Carl’s case he was also blind as well as not being able to speak! How could they be so cruel as to hurt him? Because they can and get away with it. Such is human nature if it is dark. Carl’s mother said “I feel it is a culture of cover-up, I’m sorry to say. We get told stories that are smoothed over so that we don’t react as badly…We don’t really know the truth. That’s the thing that concerns me”.
CCTV Cameras and Workers don’t know what abuse is??
The article notes that Sophia said residents and families and guardians want CCTV installed at the home but Sunnyfields is opposed. Gee I wonder why.
It also notes that an external investigation found there was a lack of understanding among staff around the importance of reporting allegations of abuse surrounding Carl, and another resident, the inquiry heard. You mean someone else was being abused there too? What is wrong with this place? Why are their residents allowed to be abused? Is there really a lack of understanding amongst the workers, were they really that dumb or were they told to shut up? “Yeah if anyone hits or hurts or punches these disability kids, just don’t say anything…”
More likely they would be bullied for saying anything about what happens to the residents because the CEOs and managers know they could be sued and they would lose money. That’s all they think about.
It was also noted in the article on the Royal Commission inquiry that “many felt uncomfortable (workers) coming forward and were intimidated by their manager and were worried about job security” It also noted that “workers had a mixed understanding about what constitutes abuse, assault and neglect”…perhaps it needs to be spelled out to them!!!
When I did a list of instructions for the new respite house James stayed at this year I said to the girl booking him in should I also put “no slapping or hitting my son” on my list of instructions for your workers. Wide eyed innocence, oh no! she said we have a policy of no abuse. That’s what they all say! but I think some of those workers think it is ok to slap the kids because maybe it happens in their own homes I said to a friend. I think I will add it to the list of instructions because nobody is telling them not to hit or slap our disability children and all the other assaults that occur. Why do they keep doing it even after I have said no one is to hurt my son? We don’t slap him why should they? They are paid for caring for our children, they should be in prison if they lay a hand on them! They need the full force of the law but without cameras we have nothing to use to prosecute them with, neither the police. It is still wrong if the police do not investigate, and shows a lack of value of our disability persons in NSW.
Regardless of para-olympic games there is still not equality of care or regard for those with disabilities especially intellectual disability in Australia. Things need to change.
Noted in the Royal commission report on that assault on Carl, after the court case where charges were dropped against the worker who allegedly punched Carl and dragged him to the floor, and the only evidence that could be used against that workers violence was the word of another worker, Carl’s mother commented…
“SOPHIA: The Client Safeguarding Manager was there and she did chat with me afterwards to ask if there was anything, you know, they could do. I said I would love it if we could have CCTV cameras installed because that would have saved that would have saved all of this from happening. That would have saved a lot of heartache, a lot of work, a lot of investigations, a lot of emails to and from, a lot of time that could have been used otherwise.
Because it was so distressing that after hearing what all the allegations were and it was only SP1's word against the support workers' word, Carl can't speak up. He can't say anything. He can't say, "Yes, this happened to me, he did that."
The distress and trauma of having your child hurt in care, harmed or even die is made even worse and even more traumatic by no justice being applied to address the great wrong that is done to our precious ones. I understand completely how Sophia felt. She stated that cameras would solve a lot of problems, would have shown the truth and what happened to her son and ‘saved a lot of heartache’ because that evidence would have caused right to be done for her son and the penalizing of the worker and needed suspension of that organization from continuing to hurt others in their care which they can still now do without evidence to punish them with. It wouldn’t happen in childcare. For shame. It should not be this way.
We need the cctv cameras we need to stop all the harm and lies and coverup from continuing in disabilities against those who cannot defend themselves. Why should our lambs be amongst the wolves? they should be taken care of by those who are good caring people wolves will only hurt them. We parents at present look to the futures for our children when we are no longer here and only see darkness and pain without any accountability for what happens to them in group homes, care or programs they are lost and alone without us to defend them. The government needs to do something about this in Australia. NDIS needs to make cameras mandatory. They are doing a grave injustice to those who are vulnerable in this society.

Sign my petition to stop our children being hurt in disabilities places
change.org/disabilitycameras

All the best
Anndrea x

#disabilitylivesmatteroz
#ifjamescouldtalkactiongroup
#cctvcameras4disabilities

*Royal Commission report
THE HON RONALD SACKVILLE AO QC, Chair DR RHONDA GALBALLY AC, CommissionerMR ALASTAIR McEWIN AM, Commissioner
THE ROYAL COMMISSION INTO VIOLENCE, ABUSE, NEGLECT AND EXPLOITATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY 10:01 AM, TUESDAY, 25 MAY 2021