In addition to the need for CCTV cameras in disabilities for the vulnerable and nonverbal, to protect them and provide evidence to for prosecution of offenders who at present can do anything to them and get away with it - is the need for law reforms so that the vulnerable in disabilities are covered by the law with stronger punishments for those who would harm them and those disability providers, managers, and CEOs who would cover it up!
     The NDIS and policies of disability providers say reporting is mandatory of incidents of harm - yet providers are not reporting everything that happens when it happens if they report it at all. It is no use making things mandatory if there are no penalties for failing to comply by the disability providers!                                                           Meanwhile our children are attacked, assaulted, abused verbally and physically or sexually and there is no come back for it or accountability without CCTV cameras to prove it especially if like my son they are non verbal - it is cruel wrong and evil and to let this continue and remain silent will see more harm to more children and adults in disabilities. We must not let it continue - as parents and families of those with disabilities we must defend and push for changes in laws and the implementation of cctv cameras to protect our dear ones.
There is a two year prison sentence for failure to report a crime including assault if you see it or know of it and cover it up. Still staff of disabilities house do not report or are afraid to for fear of losing their jobs. The providers take our money and then allow harm to happen with no punishments, no investigations but rather coverups and lies. This law also applies to disabilities services too lest we forget as the providers conveniently do, or bully their workers to say nothing yet feigning to report all incidents claiming to but not doing it at all! "The offence of concealing a serious indictable offence is contained in section 316(1) of the Crimes Act 1900" (Armstrong Legal 2021)
I wrote to south Australian government regarding the CCTV Pilot camera trial they were running in disability houses there which now had an extra 5 houses joining it, an article from Adelaide Paper also noted there had been 25 incidents of harm in the two original houses being trialed which were caught by the cameras, and police were called to investigate. https://dhs.sa.gov.au/.../cctv-trial-expands-to-further
Attached is the reply from Human Resources Minister, Michelle Lensink, who directed me to write to Minister for families, communities and disabilities here in NSW.
We need those same protections for our vulnerable and non verbal children in disability houses in our state and all of Australia, otherwise the abuse and assaults will continue without prosecutions or accountability by providers. sign my petition and bring about change in disability to protect our lambs when they are in disability classrooms, day programs and respite or care change.org/disabilitycameras
What Is Concealing A Serious Offence?
A person may be charged with this offence if they:
Fail to investigate or report allegations of child sexual abuse by a staff member;...
What Must Be Proven?
To convict a person of Concealing a Serious Indictable Offence, the prosecution must prove each of the following matters beyond a reasonable doubt:
A person has committed a serious indictable offence;(to prove this in disabilities settings is near impossible without cctv camera evidence)
The accused knew, or believed that that person had committed that offence;
That the accused had information which might have been of material assistance (many workers in disabilities see it - the crime - but won't report incidents due to fear of retribution from management or the perpetrator) In securing the apprehension of the offender; or
In the prosecution or conviction of the offender for it; and
You failed, without reasonable excuse, to bring that information to the attention of a member of the police force of other appropriate authority.
Managers and CEOS of disability providers can be guilty of this and should be charged for refusing to act.
Those at the disabilities places where my son was hurt two of those places never reported it to the police or to me, I reported it back to them and to the police, and they went to the police later to cover themselves. This is criminal this coverup of assaults and abuse in disabilities. We must call them out on it but cctv cameras provides the best evidence hard evidence in court.
I wrote to the MP for families, Communities and disability services, Alister Henskens, as referred to in Michelle Lensink's letter and then called his office recently, his secretary said he would answer me in December and I asked why he had not answered yet, she said he was investigating the matters in my letter. Let us hope there will be some action from this. Sign my petition change.org/disabilitycameras

all the best Anndrea x

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#ifjamescouldtalkactiongroup

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