Dirk and Roz
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.
Roz is in her 60s and fosters several First Nations children with disability. For more than 15 years, her foster children attended a special education school in her regional town.
‘It was a very welcoming place, but now it’s like Fort Knox … At the moment you go there, you feel like you’re not even welcome,’ Roz told the Royal Commission. ‘I did mention that I was going to be speaking to you and they laughed. There’s no respect.’
Roz said the school hasn’t tried hard enough to get help for her foster son Dirk, who has Down syndrome and is hearing impaired.
‘[Dirk] … had a teacher at the beginning of the year who was signing, but then they haven’t got any teachers [now] who can sign.’
She said the school isn’t employing enough specialists to help the teachers.
‘Now, there’s more than one child who has got fetal alcohol [disorder spectrum]. There’s more than one child who’s Down syndrome. There should be aides to assist and help and that’s not being done.’
Roz said the school employed one support worker who ‘turned up at school drunk’.
‘When I brought it up with the principal, I received a letter from the solicitor representing him that I shouldn’t talk about him. And, as a guardian, I have every right to ensure that [the children are] safe.’
Roz said she learnt the person had taken children to a bar at lunchtime.
‘I believe if you’re supporting someone in a working environment, you do not take them to the [bar] for lunch. You don’t sit around drinking while you’ve got that client.’
Roz said her faith in the school is so low that she felt ‘so grateful for COVID’ because she could homeschool the children ‘around the table looking at how they achieved’.
‘I just feel that [the school] should be accountable to ensure that anyone working there is qualified for a start, who understands disabilities. But also, to ensure that the aides don’t turn up drunk!’
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.