Hedley and Kell
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.
‘[If he had] the three years of speech therapy that he missed, I believe he would’ve been able to break that communication barrier. His life would be so much easier for him.’
Kell is the father of Hedley, who’s autistic and in a special education unit at primary school.
‘He’s a quick learner. He’s very smart, he really is,’ Kell told the Royal Commission. ‘[But] he couldn’t do the things that he needed for mainstream school like self-care and things like that.’
Hedley was diagnosed when he was a toddler and quickly received funding for early intervention therapies.
‘That was a weekly session of occupational therapy, and also speech therapy as well because he was having speech delay … And my ex-partner and I, we went to a meeting with a service provider and we told them what [Hedley’s] needs were and they said, “That’s fine.” And they agreed. And they were to put that in place.’
When Kell and his partner separated, she took out an order against him. Kell had to rely on her to take Hedley to his appointments.
‘I would ask her regularly, like, “What’s going on?” and stuff. And she was unable to explain a lot to me … she was saying, “Oh, he’s had the session” [but] … she never took him.’
Kell said he discovered only a few years ago that for some time Hedley received little speech therapy and much of his NDIS funding was left unspent.
‘He needs physiotherapy because he’s fitted with … ankle and foot orthopaedics, I think they call them, for his toe walking. And he’s required to have fortnightly visits to a physio so that he can do stretches for his ligaments … She hadn’t taken him to that either.’
Kell said Hedley’s service provider failed to follow-up on his missed appointments and didn’t contact Kell to let him know what was happening.
‘The order doesn’t actually prevent me from going to the therapy … but the organisation had excluded me after my ex-partner rang them and told them about the order.’
Kell said the service provider also knew Hedley’s updated NDIS plan from the previous year had not been approved because Kell’s former partner hadn’t provided the documents.
‘I’m really disappointed in them. Yeah. They knew [Hedley’s] needs. And I’m an equal representative for the participant in the NDIS. When [Hedley’s] not been taken to [the] therapy that we asked for, yeah, I assume that if they couldn’t contact the mother, I thought they would contact me. And they hadn’t.’
Kell said Hedley needed early intervention therapies years ago to help him at school and to reach his potential.
‘With the right therapy at the right age I was hoping that by even by grade 1 that he may be able to go to mainstream school. That’s always been the goal … He has a communication barrier that the right amount of speech therapy would’ve been able to break. And I know he can do it.’
Kell told the Royal Commission his former partner moved and he now doesn’t know where Hedley lives.
‘My ex-partner … doesn’t realise the importance of implementing these tasks.’
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.