Joel and Everett
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.
‘I have received no help in relation to my son for the past 37 years. Instead, I have had many difficulties that have been caused by the system,’ Everett told the Royal Commission.
Everett is father to Joel, a middle-aged man with intellectual disability.
In the mid-2000s, when Joel was in his 20s, allegations of physical abuse were made against Everett and he lost guardianship of his son. ‘It took me eight years to prove these allegations were untrue,’ he said.
Everett described various court and tribunal battles to prove the accusations against him were false so he could win back guardianship of Joel. Everett believes the state authorities put obstacles in his way for years, demanding frequent meetings and failing to produce reports requested by a judge at a guardianship tribunal.
Finally Everett and Joel were reviewed by a psychiatrist for three months. The psychiatrist, Everett says, came to the conclusion that the government-appointed carer ‘wasn’t doing her job and was guilty of neglect of care’. Eventually Everett was granted guardianship of Joel and has been his legal guardian ever since.
During the years Everett was fighting for guardianship, Joel lived in assisted accommodation under the care of others. Everett believes that care was inadequate.
‘He wasn’t cared for properly and his things were sometimes taken away from him and given to other people in the house … On one occasion I gave Joel some clothes for Christmas and when I went to the house I saw another man, who also lived there, wearing them.’
During one weekend visit he realised Joel was unwell. Everett took him to a doctor who diagnosed a long-term urinary tract infection needing treatment with antibiotics. When Everett returned Joel to the accommodation, staff stopped giving him the medication and took him to another doctor.
‘They tried to cover up the fact that they had neglected the infection by handling it themselves.’
After another weekend visit, Joel refused to return to the home. He said, ‘I’m not going back Dad’ and tried to get out of the car.
Everett kept Joel with him for the next three months while he tried to find a solution. Eventually he moved to a different town and found alternative supported accommodation for Joel.
‘People shouldn’t have the problems I have had with the system. I have always cared for my son, yet I have had to constantly fight to be able to do so. The system should support parents who are trying to care for their children, and work with them, not make it harder for them.’
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.