Rochelle and Marnie
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.
Rochelle is a teenager with autism, intellectual disability, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. She was in foster care when Marnie adopted her.
‘She was six years of age when a teacher said, "Oh, that's a foster child, and she's got mental health problems,”’ Marnie told the Royal Commission. ‘My daughter came home and told me what they said. I said to her, "Don't listen to people like that." But [the teachers] should learn – they are in education.’
Marnie said that a couple of years ago, Rochelle was rushed to hospital after harming herself. After several hours, a doctor sent Rochelle home with a prescription.
‘So, I rang up mental health [services] to see what the prescription was for and they said, "Oh, just take it down to the doctor.”’
Marnie’s doctor told her the medication treated schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
‘And I said, "How long is she going to be on it for?” He said, "I don't know" … So, I rang up mental health [services]. I'm still waiting and I've got no response from it.’
Marnie said the local hospital has limited mental health facilities and staff avoid Rochelle ‘because they are not sure’ how to treat complex psychosocial disability.
One day, staff put Rochelle in an empty room with a cement floor.
‘There are no cushions or anything to sit on … And Rochelle sat on that cold floor without a blanket, without going to the toilet. They just left her there. For two and a half hours she sat there.’
Rochelle was cold and started shaking.
‘So, when the doctor came past I grabbed him and I said, "Have a look at my daughter, there is something wrong," and I told him what happened. He said, "She's in a convulsion. How long has she been like that?”’
Another time when Rochelle was admitted to hospital, a doctor assumed she was in labour.
‘They throw her on a bed, they pull her legs apart like she's a flaming piece of sheep, and he said, "Oh, she's in labour, first stages." I had a policeman with me who told them to keep their hands off her.’
Marnie said Rochelle was sexually abused at school and her treatment at the hospital traumatised her.
‘They talk about her as if she isn't there and neither am I … I would never, ever go back to [that] hospital again in my whole life and neither will my child.’
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.