Grahame
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.
Grahame, in his late 50s, used to work as a support worker in group homes. About 10 years ago he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, and left his job. He developed these conditions after a period of being bullied and harassed in the workplace, for which he received workers compensation.
Grahame said when he first worked in group homes he enjoyed the job.
‘I connected well with the clients. They connected well with me. Then others would say, “Wow, [Grahame], you picked this up really quickly. You’re really good at this job.”’
He explained he was bullied because he wanted management to act on his reports of neglect and abuse.
‘I am one that likes to apply policies and procedures. That’s just what I’m like … If somebody didn’t apply the care plan, and put the client in danger, I would report it to management. And it came to a point, because there were so many breaches, that management would say, “What does [Grahame] want now? What’s [Grahame] complaining about now?”’
‘It’s a lot easier to bully someone out of the industry than to investigate a report,’ he said.
Grahame told the Royal Commission that often workers ignore reporting procedures. He believes one reason is the high rate of casualisation in the workforce.
‘People fear to report neglect, abuse, bullying, harassment because they feel that their job is held at ransom … So that’s creating a cultural silence,’ he said.
But he believes the main problem is poor management.
‘The bottom line … is management don’t know how to manage, I’m sorry to say. They don’t know how to manage conflict, disputes, bullying, harassment, differences between staff and other staff. They don’t know how to match staff with the appropriate home … There are some clients with complex needs and I cannot work with them. I wasn’t trained enough, but they would still put me in that position.’
The result is that management play ‘a key role in keeping things hushed’.
‘Even though there is consistent training on abuse and neglect policy, a care plan, reporting, although … it’s our duty of care to report, it’s not put in place ... So an organisation can put all these policies into place, but the person who makes the report becomes the victim.’
Grahame had pursued one case of abuse as far as he could.
‘I followed procedures, I started from the shop floor, I went right up to local management, then regional, then state, then the CEO, then Ministers. And every step that I went I was silenced. Every step, I was silenced. Every step.’
He tried to be a ‘voice’ for people with disability, but feels his efforts were futile.
‘Nothing changed. All the recommendations weren’t put into place. So even to this day – so, I question myself. I’ve lost a career. I’ve lost relationships. And I’m thinking, what was the point? And I’m sure there are more – others out there that are thinking, like me, that if they ever apply the policies, nothing is going to happen.’
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.