Revealing bad leadership- the investigations by the Royal Commission into Sunnyfields disabilities residential care, where assaults occurred to very vulnerable participants living there, bothered me in that the person who hurt those in vulnerable people, was not just a support worker but was actually someone in authority – the co-ordinator at house where these vulnerable people were living. Then report noted in 7News said he the supervisor/co-ordinator was deceitful and good at covering up his behaviour. Sounds like all the other managers and CEOs of disability organizations - the deceit and cover up keeps happening. Are they any better than other common criminals,like the crime gangs that recently were caught posing as providers and stealing 2 million dollars of disability people's money....? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/.../NDIS-Group-linked
They even bullied and threatened those vulnerable in disabilities - not hard to pose as a provider when actual disability providers are getting away with intimidating and bullying those with disabilities as well. How dare they. Even parents are bullied who try to defend their vulnerable children. This should not be happening.
Why do they put these bullies in charge of a house of the most vulnerable people? These kind of humans love the power and control of others including the most vulnerable and needy who should be cared for not bullied. I never realized that the person who did this abuse was a co-ordinator. There is no bar, no standard, no training, or education expected of those who work even at that level in disabilities. Of course, even the CEOs have had no grounding or understanding of disabilities many times are more just business minded people who are making a business out of those most vulnerable which is a risky match from the start.
The complaints against the co-ordinator noted by independent investigations are that “A supervisor at a NSW residential care home for disabled people was charged with assault, stalking and intimidation over his treatment of a blind and autistic man, an inquiry has heard.
The same co-ordinater/care was also accused of sexual misconduct towards a teenage girl in another facility and supervisory neglect after allegedly falsifying a client's medication chart.”
Not only that, but this same supervisor/co-ordinator, so called bullied the staff or made them feel bullied, and divided them by ethnicity.
The article notes that “The residents' high level of disabilities and associated behaviour potentially hid what was actually happening in the house, the document said.”
Because these people had disabilities which made them so vulnerable and often being non verbal or with behaviours that could not show what was happening to them – this hid what was going on with the supervisor who had in the end been reported by the workers for what he did. So much abuse and neglect is hidden because those with disabilities cannot tell anyone what is happening to them that is what is so frightening and heart breaking for parents. We cannot protect our vulnerable and nonverbal children from such monsters and criminals in disabilities albeit bullies to their staff and the vulnerable with disabilities.
That is why we need the cctv cameras to catch such perpetrators who are so clever at hiding what they do to our vulnerable children and seemingly get away with it. It would be good to see also how they treat the staff under their direction too.
This ‘supervisor’ had also been accused of sexual misconduct at another facility and this was not followed up properly by the omsbudsman, after also falsifying another client’s medication chart and being dismissed, the ombudsman office failed to notify Sunnyfield – bad form. Why do we have an ombudsman office if they will not do what they should do?
“ A 2018 investigation by the NSW Ombudsman found the coordinator had been accused of sexual misconduct towards a teenage girl in residential care at another facility in 2005 and supervisory neglect after allegedly falsifying another client's medication chart.
The coordinator was dismissed by his then-employer in 2016 but the ombudsman's office failed to notify Sunnyfields, where he had by then started working.”
All the charges brought against this person in a position of authority at Sunnyfields were then dropped by the magistrate. Why does our judicial system insist on ignoring the abuse of the most vulnerable – is that because it happens all the time and they don’t want to waste money on justice for those with disabilities? Why are judges dismissing charges? Are they worried about setting a precedent so that others who have been abused would come forward too? It seems strange and wrong that complaints and eyewitness accounts and injuries can be wiped aside by the statement ‘lack of evidence’ when evidence is abundant.
We need to see justice done for those in disabilities we need the cameras but we also need a justice system with judges who will value the lives of disability persons enough to sentence those who get caught hurting the vulnerable once again money is at the fore of all this and perhaps the capping that was done in New South Wales on how much suing can go on is now stopping any justice being achieved in this money driven state of Australia for shame they would rather let people be assaulted and abused then take the perpetrators to prison for it. It needs to change here and the discrimination in our justice system is still alive and well against those with disabilities who already had no voice. Parents and those who care must lift up our voices and speak up for these ones who cannot defend themselves.
“He was later sacked by Sunnyfields in 2019 and police later charged him with five counts of assault and two counts of stalking and intimidation over incidents at the group house involving the blind and autistic man.
He was also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm after allegedly kicking another disabled man living in the same house.
But the charges were dismissed by a magistrate in 2020.”
We need cameras for justice and for catching those managers, co-ordinators and providers who hurt our dear ones or turn the blind eye in order to keep making their money for shame they should be in prison for hurting those weaker than themselves, or for witnessing it and failing to help someone who cannot help themselves. Just like a hit and run car accident a person can be charged for failing to stop and help, maybe people should be charged in disabilities for failing to help or report those who hurt the vulnerable and rather conceal the crime which is a crime called concealment. The providers should be charged with concealment when the organization itself knows what has happened and has kept it quiet letting crime continue.
Anndrea x
Sign my petition change.org/disabilitycameras