Ravi and Josefine
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.
Ravi, early 20s, is autistic and has complex post-traumatic stress disorder. He is non-verbal.
Ravi’s parents separated many years ago and Ravi spent equal time living with each. A few years ago when Ravi was about to leave school, his mother Josefine tried to make a plan with his father about Ravi’s future. When they could not agree, the court appointed a public guardian for Ravi.
Josefine told the Royal Commission that the guardian, Mr McDonald, was a lawyer who seemed to have little interest in Ravi or knowledge of people with disability.
When Ravi’s stepmother left his father because of his violence towards her, Mr McDonald refused to investigate whether Ravi was safe with his father. Josefine urged him to, but he wouldn’t.
‘There was this underlying current from him that [Ravi’s stepmother] and I colluded in some way and we were like – had a vendetta against [Ravi’s father] or something. So he never ever investigated anything.’
Mr McDonald’s hands-off attitude continued even when Josefine provided evidence about her former husband’s violence. Ravi’s stepmother said she had seen Ravi’s father neglect and abuse him, and a therapist said Ravi showed signs of trauma from abuse. When one of Ravi’s support workers visited the father’s home to collect Ravi, she found the place in disarray and he was ‘very aggressive’ with her.
‘She was too frightened to go back,’ Josefine said.
Some months after Ravi left school, his father declared he could no longer care for him.
‘From that, [he] has never tried to make any contact with [Ravi] whatsoever,’ Josefine said.
As guardian, Mr McDonald took over Josefine’s role as Ravi’s NDIS plan nominee. Josefine said Mr McDonald ‘ran [Ravi’s] NDIS funding into the ground’, then went on leave for four weeks without arranging any care.
Though he was not responsible for Ravi’s accommodation, Mr McDonald then proposed Ravi be placed in segregated accommodation. Josefine refused.
Eventually, the guardianship became the subject of a tribunal hearing.
The tribunal appointed a new guardian for Ravi, who investigated the alleged abuse of Ravi by his father and found it definitely occurred. He revoked the guardianship, telling Josefine there was no need for it as the father was no longer part of Ravi’s life and she was ‘more than capable’ of managing Ravi’s affairs.
‘So I had to put up with all that for nothing,’ said Josefine. ‘It was a stressful, stressful time and [Ravi’s father] got away with everything. He wasn’t reported, nothing happened to him, and he just dropped [Ravi] and he hasn’t seen him since.’
Josefine is more concerned about the failures of the guardianship office.
‘I was extremely disappointed because I thought at the beginning when a guardian was appointed, great, there’ll be less pressure for me. But … the fact is that I was just left hung to dry to solve everything myself for [Ravi],’ she said.
‘There are no policies and procedures … dealing with non-verbal people. That’s ridiculous … [Public guardians] need to have policies and procedures around dealing with non-verbal clients. And if they can’t do, they’re a failure as an organisation dealing with people with disabilities as far as I’m concerned.’
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.