Esther and Faith
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Faith describes her daughter, Esther, as ‘a gorgeous girl who is about to turn eight’. She attends a mainstream primary school and ‘loves music and movement, playing with water and being around her family and caregivers’.
Esther has an intellectual and physical disability that ‘impacts all of her development and interactions’.
Faith and her partner have jobs and the family sometimes has commitments outside school hours, so Faith would like Esther to participate in after-school and vacation care programs.
She said Esther would also enjoy the activities and the opportunity to socialise with her peers.
But, Faith told the Royal Commission, children with disabilities do not have the same access to after-school care programs.
‘Safe and specialised programs are almost non-existent and they are not funded from the same pool as mainstream services.’
Faith has to apply for these programs every year through Esther’s NDIS plan.
‘For children without disabilities it doesn’t matter why you enrol your child or how often.’
But Faith is expected to provide a rationale, with quotes, as part of the NDIS planning process. To do this she has to know whether the family has any work or life commitments for the year ahead, which is difficult.
For example if Faith is offered an additional shift at work or her other child has an appointment after school that they didn’t anticipate, Esther can’t attend after-school care.
The NDIS will allow Faith to use ‘core funds’ to cover the cost of after-school care but this would be at the expense of another program or therapy that is essential for Esther.
The family aren’t in a financial position to self-fund the program.
‘The daily fee for my mainstream child's vacation care program is $65 per day before the childcare rebate. The daily fee for my child with a disability is $441.’
Faith would like ‘greater options for before and after-school care programs and vacation care for children with disabilities’. She says funding should be ‘a line item that we can access as often as we choose’, not ‘something we have to apply for’.
‘Accessing an ordinary life,’ she says, shouldn’t be ‘tedious and heart wrenching’.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.