Mariah
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.
Mariah is a paid support worker. She told the Royal Commission she is concerned that the company she works for is not providing properly for the residents in its group homes in order to save money.
‘We are expected to feed the people in a group home for $65 per week … We do three meals a day for them and three snack meals a day and if they go to any day placement they still require us to pack their food for that day.
‘We also buy other household needs out of that [$65] like toilet paper … so that amount is not just for food alone.’
Mariah has raised this issue with management at different levels, but they have all insisted that this budget must be adhered to.
Mariah told us her hope for the future is ‘for the government to have more control in private companies and to have independent people checking up on things often’.
She says these independent inspectors should talk to the people who work in the home rather than managers who, she believes, will invariably hide the truth.
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.