Nikki and Reginald
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.
Nikki doesn’t speak and has no literacy or money skills. The public guardian helps Nikki make decisions about her care.
Reginald, now an advocate, used to be one of Nikki’s support workers at her group home.
‘Some [of the residents] had family who visited. Some did not. [Nikki] had no known family,’ Reginald told the Royal Commission.
‘The staff that supported her had learned what she liked and enjoyed. She had lived in the same house for a number of years and attended the same day program for some years.’
Reginald said that, one day, the guardian withdrew its support for Nikki ‘as there had been no requirement on the guardian to make any decisions for [Nikki] for the past five years’.
‘This notification came to the house via a letter. There was no mention of anyone [else] taking on guardianship for Nikki. This was at a time when the [state] government had already given notice that it would no longer be providing services once the NDIS was rolled out.’
Reginald said that in his experience ‘it was very difficult to talk to the relevant person’ in the public guardian’s office. He said guardians would change ‘often without notice’ and newly-appointed guardians ‘often had no real knowledge of the person [they] supported’.
Without a legal guardian, Nikki had no-one to help her make decisions for her care. Reginald said Nikki’s key support worker struggled to persuade the guardian to change its mind.
‘[Nikki’s key support worker] decided that the only real recourse was to ask for a hearing. … [Nikki] was happy to go out for the day, but did not understand why she was going and became impatient and distressed while in the hearing.’
At the hearing, after meeting Nikki in person for the first time and ‘gaining a greater understanding’ of her needs, the guardian decided to continue supporting her.
Reginald said if Nikki’s key support worker hadn’t advocated for her and insisted on a hearing, the guardian would have ended its guardianship ‘and there would be no-one to speak for this vulnerable person’.
‘It may be that this is, in fact, what has happened to numerous vulnerable people who are now at the mercy of the people and service providers who “provide care” for them.’
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.