Harriet, Ivey and Kiara
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.
Harriet and Ivey have been friends since school. Not long after they turned 18 they moved into supported independent living (SIL) accommodation together. Six months later the provider evicted Harriet.
Their support coordinator, Kiara, told the Royal Commission she suspects Harriet was evicted because her mother repeatedly complained about the lack of choice and control the provider gave the girls over their lives.
For example, Harriet and Ivey had asked to attend a number of activities including a free concert in the park, a hiking trip and an overnight camp. Kiara said that despite providing comprehensive risk assessments, their requests were denied. Most puzzling to Kiara was the hiking trip – they were fit young women who exercised regularly.
Harriet didn’t respond well to strangers, but the provider repeatedly ignored requests to limit the number of new staff in the house. Staff implemented a ‘photograph system’ to introduce Harriet to new staff before they arrived, but the provider refused to participate. Kiara suspects the provider was using the house as a training facility.
Around this time the provider increased the accommodation fees and informed Ivey’s father staff would no longer accompany Ivey to medical appointments – he would need to arrange this himself.
Fed-up, Harriet’s mother and Ivey’s father met with Kiara and asked her to source a new provider who would also be interested in taking on some of the existing staff. Kiara investigated possible providers and spoke to two staff members who agreed to move.
The provider evicted Harriet the next day. ‘The agreement had been seriously breached,’ they said. She had to be out in 24 hours.
Kiara asked for evidence of any breach but the provider refused on the grounds ‘they didn’t need to provide any or justify their decision’.
The provider stood down the two support staff who’d agreed to move with Harriet and Ivey to a new provider.
Kiara was able to source emergency housing for Harriet. Ivey’s parents immediately started the process to remove Ivey from the SIL accommodation.
Kiara described their being a ‘sense of urgency’ on the part of the provider to remove Harriet from the property. They engaged locksmiths to change the locks before the women had even left the accommodation, adding to the growing stream of strangers in Harriet and Ivey’s home.
The provider made no attempt to support Harriet and Ivey who were becoming increasingly distressed.
‘At no point whatsoever did … management consider the impact this was having on both the young ladies, their families and the regular dedicated staff trying to support the girls through this exceptionally stressful and traumatic process.’
Kiara wants the provider’s actions reviewed and strategies put in place to ensure that no other participants, their families and carers are put through this same stressful, needless process.
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.