Guides: Disability Services: Abuse/Mandatory Reporting

Royal Commission

Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability Fast facts 5,312 Submissions received 14,947 Phone enquiries 14 Issues papers published 707 Responses to issues papers 1,247 Private sessions held

Abuse Learning Bites - National Disability Service

Zero Tolerance is an initiative led by NDS in partnership with the disability sector. It assists disability service providers to understand, implement and improve practices which safeguard the rights of people they support. Built around a national evidence-based framework, Zero Tolerance is:

a way for organisations to understand actions they can do to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect and violence of people with disability
a clear message that abuse, neglect and violence are not okay
a way of thinking about abuse as a human rights issue not a disability issue
an organisational and personal commitment to act on:

- anything that makes a person with disability be or feel unsafe

- anything that doesn’t support a person’s human rights

- anything that we could be doing better

a collection of resources to educate and train staff at all levels to understand their responsibilities in preventing and responding to abuse
a way of working collaboratively within and outside the disability sector to prevent and respond to abuse

Economic This Learning Bite is about work and money. Watch the scenario with Kim, Alex and Pradeep. Use it to think and talk about the way you support people in this life area. The downloadable worksheet will help you to reflect on your own role as a support worker and identify good, poor and abusive practice.
Education In this Learning Bite we talk about the importance of learning new things. Watch the scenario with Alex and Jo. Use it to think and talk about the way you support people in this life area. The downloadable worksheet will help you to reflect on your own role as a support worker and identify good, poor and abusive practice.
Emotional This Learning Bite looks at things that affect the way people feel. Watch the scenario with Kim and Alex. Use it to think and talk about the way you support people in this life area. The downloadable worksheet will help you to reflect on your own role as a support worker and identify good, poor and abusive practice.
Identity This Learning Bite is about who we are and the things that are important to us. Watch the scenario with Tom and Pradeep. Use it to think and talk about the way you support people in this life area. The downloadable worksheet will help you to reflect on your own role as a support worker and identify good, poor and abusive practice.
Material This Learning Bite is about what is important to us about our homes and our things. Watch the scenario with Kelly and Jo. Use it to think and talk about the way you support people in this life area. The downloadable worksheet will help you to reflect on your own role as a support worker and identify good, poor and abusive practice.
Physical This Learning Bite is all about physical health and safety. Watch the scenario with Tom and Pradeep. Use it to think and talk about the way you support people in this life area. The downloadable worksheet will help you to reflect on your own role as a support worker and identify good, poor and abusive practice.
Relationships This Learning Bite looks at the important people in our lives. Watch the scenario with Mylene and Jo. Use it to think and talk about the way you support people in this life area. The downloadable worksheet will help you to reflect on your own role as a support worker and identify good, poor and abusive practice.
Social This Learning Bite looks at the importance of being part of a community. Watch the scenario with Kim and Alex. Use it to think and talk about the way you support people in this life area. The downloadable worksheet will help you to reflect on your own role as a support worker and identify good, poor and abusive practice.
Understanding Abuse The Empowerment Circle is a useful tool to assist support workers to focus on good practice, and to consider and recognise poor or neglectful practice, abuse and crime. Watch the short clip. The downloadable worksheet will help you to reflect on the importance of each life area.
‘Understanding Abuse’ PDF worksheets Download the Learning Bite worksheets. These easy-to-use worksheets promote reflection, team discussion and action through simple personal and team exercises. Includes checklists to help support workers to recognise instances of good, poor and abusive practice, and to take action.

Websites - Abuse & Mandatory Reporting

Disability Support Toolkit Excellent resource which covers people with a disability who have been impacted by violence and abuse
NDIS Code of Conduct The NDIS Code of Conduct promotes safe and ethical service delivery by setting out expectations for the conduct of both NDIS providers and workers.
People with Disability in Australia - Violence Against (AIHW) Acts of violence can affect anyone. But some people, such as those with disability, may be especially vulnerable to experiencing violence.
Preventing and Responding to Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation (2018) Identifying abuse, neglect and exploitation - Information about indicators, signs and risk factors. Preventing abuse, neglect and exploitation - Information about values, key features and preventing abuse and exploitation. Responding to abuse, neglect and exploitation - Outlines steps to respond to abuse, neglect and exploitation. Evaluation and audit - Information about ways of evaluating abuse, neglect and exploitation prevention measures and includes a self audit tool. Key agencies - Information and links to key response agencies.
Responding to Abuse - NDIS Responding to abuse is about being ready to respond appropriately, quickly and effectively to any incidents of abuse, neglect and violence toward people with disability. It is about having clear policy and set actions that organisations are required to take to respond when abuse occurs, including supporting victims and working with authorities.
Responding to Allegations of Abuse - Victorian Health and Human Services (2018) These guidelines have been developed to support disability service providers and Victoria Police to more effectively respond to people with disabilities who have been victims, witnesses or alleged perpetrators of abuse
Violence and Abuse Against Persons with Disability - Factsheet Evidence demonstrates that people with disability frequently experience sustained and repeated episodes of violence and abuse.[i] Women and girls with disability are at far greater risk of violence, particularly sexual violence, and experience significantly higher levels of all forms of violence by a greater number of perpetrators compared to their peers
WA Department of Communities - Disability Services Creating a truly welcoming and inclusive Western Australia requires a community-wide commitment that involves people with disability, their families and carers. The Department of Communities (Communities) works to advance opportunities, community participation and quality of life for people with disability.

Online Videos - Abuse & Mandatory Reporting

EduTV - Four Corners: Fighting the system Four Corners exposes what happens behind closed doors in some taxpayer-funded group homes for the disabled and talks to the mothers and carers taking on the system. These are families who've made the tough decision to place their disabled children into care, in the belief it would be the safest place for them.
Informit - Living with Autism Imagine being able to list every country in the world and its capital city, remember what we ate for dinner on 9 March 2002 and every prime number up to 7,507. This highly personal and emotional documentary discovers how brains that see the world in strikingly different ways are unlocking the secrets of our own minds.
Informit - What it's like: Living on the Autism Spectrum A show for young people in our community whose voices, stories and perspectives aren't often seen or heard. In this episode we hear what it's like living on the Autism Spectrum.
TEDx - YouTube - How can we end stigma and abuse against people with disabilities. Shantha Rau Barriga shares her first-hand experiences documenting some of the worst human rights crimes: the shackling and deliberate isolation of people with disabilities. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would not believe such inhumanity is possible.” By sharing the stories of people hidden away and pressuring policymakers to act, we’re starting to change people’s lives.
Understanding the financial impacts of mental illness – WA Department of Justice [2024] Explains mental illness and how the public trustee can help with finances that are beyond the illness scope that cause financial hardships. Other videos in the series Financial Elder Abuse COMPASS - Guiding Action on Elder Abuse Financial Elder Abuse Prevention (Video) Financial Elder Abuse - Don't ignore the red flags (Video)
YouTube - Disability advocate claims she was abused in hospital . (6 dec 2019) There are calls for major changes to the way the NSW’s mental health system treats people with disabilities. Police are investigating allegations a Central Coast woman was physically abused by staff at a Sydney hospital. Disability advocates say there are no protections for people with physical disabilities under the mental health act, which can lead to mistreatment and even human rights violations. Image: ABC Central Coast/Colin Kerr Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-0...

ePublications

Women with Disabilities Victoria - Our Right to Safety and Respect - Guidelines for developing resurces with women with disabilities about safety from violence and abuse. (2017) Discusses resources and guidelines for women with disabilities to keep them safe from abuse and violence
A Future Without Violence (2018) This report outlines the Commission’s findings and recommendations on the ways in which quality, safeguarding and oversight mechanisms that prevent and address violence against people with disability in institutional settings can be strengthened. The findings are based on evidence drawn from national consultations undertaken by the Commission with government, disabled people’s organisations, disability advocacy organisations, industry and academia. This evidence is supplemented by extensive independent research, a comprehensive literature review, and advice from the project Expert Reference Group.
WWDA - Publications - Violence and Safety Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) Publications Search filter Violence and Safety, WWDA’s work covers a broad range of advocacy activities, as well as specific projects that promote the human rights of women and girls with disability. In this section of the website, you can browse articles, papers, publications and reports that WWDA has written or contributed to.

eBooks - Abuse & Mandatory Reporting

Supporting Positive Behaviour in Intellectual Disabilities and Autism (2019) This highly practical book is an accessible and grounded handbook for addressing challenging behaviour in children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD), including autism. It recognises that challenging behaviour does not appear out of nowhere and is meaningful for the person exhibiting it. Behaviour can be communicative and an important signifier of underlying sensory or environmental issues. Focusing on a person-centred approach throughout, the book has advice and strategies for working with the client's families, support staff and professionals. It also presents best practice for analysing and addressing challenging behaviour in various settings such as schools, hospitals and the home, all while stressing the need to keep the human story at the heart of any assessment and intervention. Each chapter features questions for discussion or reflection and exercises for the reader to complete. Informal, frank and free of jargon, this is indispensable for professionals, parents, and anyone working with people with intellectual disability or autism.
What You Need to Know about Autism (2019) Introduction to autism with a list of the Top 10 Questions with answers.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (2018) In DSM-5, published in 2013, the classification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was created, subsuming several diagnoses and representing a significant evolution from its first appearance in the DSM-III three decades earlier. Autism Spectrum Disorders reflects this evolution, offering clinicians and families a succinct, definitive, and up-to-date guide to current research in the field and its impact on assessment and treatment. The book begins with the epidemiology of ASDs, which have increased in prevalence, and explores genetic heritability and environmental risk factors. It then explains the roles of the psychiatrist, neurologist and pediatrician in assessing the patient, examines assessment tools and processes, and describes the latest advances in a variety of treatments and interventions. The text's focus is on educating and empowering families and health care providers to determine whether appropriate genetic testing and counseling have been undertaken, whether the individual has had the relevant assessment, and whether skilled behavioral treatment and additional medical assessment or treatment are required. Specifically, the text: * Reviews existing prevalence estimates for ASDs since 2000 and discusses methodological factors impacting the estimation of prevalence and the interpretation of changes in prevalence estimates over time.* Evaluates genomic and epigenomic research over the last decade in the context of translating findings to practice, in terms of testing (e.g., copy number variants and whole-exome sequencing) and counseling.* Examines the role of environmental toxicity in immune dysregulation, which has now been noted among individuals with ASD and their family members by numerous studies. * Reviews medical and cognitive assessments that may be needed.* Reviews targeted treatments that have the potential to reverse neurobiological abnormalities in ASD* Reviews behavioral treatments that are effective in promoting development and improving behavior.* Describes the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-based (DIR) model, a comprehensive developmental theory with relevance across the lifespan, which targets the core deficits of ASD identified in DSM-5.* Provides an overview of school-based interventions for students with autism, exploring the rationale for conducting school-based research and examining existing teacher-, paraprofessional-, and peer-mediated interventions school-based interventions.* Explores other approaches to ASDs, such as complementary and integrative approaches and non-invasive brain stimulation technologies, including transcranial magnetic stimulation. The push for early screening is resulting in earlier diagnosis of ASDs and the provision of evidence-based interventions that have a positive impact on outcomes. Autism Spectrum Disorders provides a bench-to-bedside guide that is essential reading for health care providers and families facing the challenges inherent in these complex disorders.
Neurotribes (2015) 'NeuroTribes is a sweeping and penetrating history, presented with a rare sympathy and sensitivity... it will change how you think of autism.
People with disability (2017) One in five Australians have a disability, however many encounter a range of barriers, stereotypes and negative attitudes. They are more likely to experience poverty, live in poor quality or insecure housing, suffer from mental illness and have low levels of education. They are often socially isolated, with fewer opportunities to take part in community life.