Axl & Cole
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.
Axl is a young adult with autism. He is non-verbal.
A few years ago, he was living in supported accommodation run by a large non-government organisation.
His father Cole told the Royal Commission he noticed a ‘range of operational competencies’ while his son was there – ‘for example breach of service agreement, lack of incident reporting, staffing issues, training of the staff, falsification of records.’
Not long after Axl settled into the house, the care provider made staff changes. Axl no longer got the amount of exercise he had become used to and started acting out. He was involved in an ‘incident of significant aggression against a carer’ and taken to hospital with self-inflicted injuries.
The care provider was concerned about the risk Axl’s behaviour posed to their staff. They said there would need to be a formal assessment to identify Axl’s ‘problem behaviours’ and a guide provided for staff to support more positive outcomes. They would not allow Axl back into the home until this happened.
Along with the assessment – which cost thousands of dollars – Axl’s parents designed a checklist staff could use to make sure he got the amount of daily physical activity he needed. Cole even made some short videos to demonstrate Axl’s functional capacity and areas where he might need a little help.
Axl spent 118 days in hospital waiting for the group home to ‘to get their act together’ and implement reforms to their processes. Finally, after four months, Axl returned to the home.
But not for long.
‘It was just a matter of hours before things went downhill,’ Cole said.
Staff did not follow Cole’s checklist and sent Axl to bed at around 6.30 pm – much earlier than he was used to.
Axl reportedly lashed out at a support worker and sustained injuries to his face. He needed hospital treatment again.
Axl’s parents felt let down by the staff. They withdrew Axl from the group home permanently. ‘We could not leave him in [there] any longer,’ said Cole.
Now, Axl lives at his dad’s house some days and his mother’s house on others.
Cole says his son ‘has gone from being the worst he's ever been ... to the best he has ever been’.
The family has employed a different service provider to help with Axl’s care. ‘They are excellent and only serve to deepen my grievance toward [the group home].’
Cole says his own physical and mental health may have suffered as a result of Axl’s treatment in the group home. But, he says, ‘[Axl] is my highest moral imperative.’
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.