BRIEFING NOTE FOR THE MINISTER:
COMMUNITIES OF SUPPORT DIRECTORATE ON THE ABUSE OF DEVELOPMENTALLY DELAYED ADULTS
PURPOSE
The purpose of this note is to inform the Minister, of the October 5, 2016 issues/concerns related to the Communities of Support Directorate on the Abuse of Developmentally Delayed Adults. As the report is critical to government’s approach when receiving, and handling complaints of abuse involving developmentally delayed adults. The Minister may accept questions from the media and/or in Question Period.
CURRENT SITUATION
On October 5, the Communities of Support Directorate on Human Resources and the Status of Persons with Disabilities is commencing its report on The Abuse of Developmentally Delayed Adults: The Need to
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Adapting to the services that are available can be difficult, because the services are so culturally different from what they are used to.
• Placing abused developmentally delayed adults in facilities that are catered to their disabilities would be viewed as turning their backs on their loved ones.
NEXT STEPS
• Educate both persons suffering from developmental disabilities and persons of authority and care, such as police officers and official caregivers on how best to handle a situation where abuse has been reported, where the victim is not ignored due to their lack of authenticity.
• Further expanding the options of acknowledging abuse, as opposed to previous acknowledgement of physical evidence only.
• Prompt additional methods of acknowledging abuse in other marginalized groups according to their cultural norms.
• Reiterate the importance of treating every individual with respect and dignity, despite an individual’s status in mental or physical health.
• Conduct a public inquiry into how policies are designed and delivered.
• Conduct a survey throughout Canada to see how the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act 2008, differs from the old Disability
The main issues of public concern are centred on the abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults - whether they are elderly, people with disabilities, those suffering from dementia or other mental health problems.
Children, babies and the elderly are considered vulnerable because they are all unable to care for themselves and may not understand their rights and may not notice if they are being abused or neglected due to a lack of understanding. I am going to discuss the five main factor that may influence abuse and neglect. Cognitive impairment is a condition that ranges from mild to severe which results in the service user struggling to remember, concentrate, learn and make decisions. This will therefore make it challenging for the service user to protect themselves from abuse, exploitation or neglect. All service users are unique and the severity of their cognitive impairment will affect how able they are to protect themselves from abuse.
Assumptions are sometimes be made about disabled children e.g. their mood, injury or behaviour. This can result in indicators of possible abuse being mistakenly attributed to the child's impairment. However; their behaviour may be the only way for them to express how they actually feel. In my poster I minimized this by highlighting types of abuse and indicators that staff an look out for if they suspect abuse. For example an indicator for physical abuse is unbelievable excuses i.e. I walked into a lamp post. However, not all the signs mentioned mean that the student is being abused, but it’s about using your sense to know if it feels right or not.
Prior to the Community Care Act 1990 adults and children with learning disabilities were cared for in large institutions where their basic needs were met but there
If we protect children from harm they are more likely to grow up into confident members of society. Children with a disability are three times more likely to experience abuse and neglect and it’s up to us as practitioners to recognise the signs and symptoms to protect all children.
On April 11th, I attended SOAR’s People First Neenah-Menasha program. This program is an advocacy program and it teaches individuals with developmental disabilities how to address their own needs within their communities. There are higher functioning and lower functioning participants in this advocacy group, but it was amazing to see how these individuals understood the concept of social justice. The participants address their rights as human beings when they encounter unethical situations in their own communities. This program teaches the participant’s the skill of self-advocacy and it enhances their self-determination. On this day one of the participants referred to an event that SOAR and at this event a participants rights were violated.
■ Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Community Services and the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care on Children and Young Persons with a Disability, and;
1. Explain why it is important to recognise and value an individual as a person
Unit TDA 2.15 – Support children and young people with disabilities and special educational needs.
safeguarding, who a vulnerable adult is, different types of abuse, who may abuse, factors and
Maltreatment of Children With Disabilities is not a topic that is intensely covered in textbook, however it is a serious public health issue. Child maltreatment is a disturbing social problem in American culture. There are currently four categories of child maltreatment that include: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional maltreatment. The term “disability” is used broadly and includes physical, mental, and emotional deficiencies. According to the textbook, results have shown that the rate of child maltreatment was
My working environment deals with adult. A vulnerable adult is a person aged eighteen years or over who needs to depend on other people for at least some of their care and support and is unable to protect themselves from harm or exploitation. This can be due to learning disabilities, mental health problems, age or illness, and physical disability or impairment. Every adult has a right to respect, dignity, privacy, equity and a life free from abuse (Joint Committee on Human Rights). There are a growing number of incidents of adult abuse, many of which are not reported. That is why everyone has a responsibility to help prevent adult abuse by doing something about it especially I have a duty of care in my profession under my competencies to protect vulnerable people. There are robust, policies and procedures for safe guarding and protecting adults and
It is therefore fair to say that adults with learning disabilities health and social wellbeing is severely compromised when they come in contact with the justice system with little seeming to work properly, leaving these vulnerable individuals open to all sorts of abuse.
People who experience a disability are some of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups within our society. This essay will explain what disability is and what it means to have a disability. Disability can often be seen as a form of social deviance, and so, because of this, the disability community can be othered and excluded within mainstream society. This essay will give examples of how othering occurs and how othering could be avoided, when working as a social worker with people with disabilities. Social workers have an extremely important role in the lives of people with a disability. Social workers are often a person with a disability’s voice and advocate and they need to set an example for
The importance of education for all children, especially for those with disability and with limited social and economic opportunities, is indisputable. Indeed, the special education system allowed children with disability increased access to public education. Apart from that, the special education system has provided for them an effective framework for their education, and for the institutions involved to identify children with disability sooner. In turn, this promotes greater inclusion of children with disability alongside their nondisabled peers. In spite of these advances however, many obstacles remain, including delays in providing services for children with disability, as well as regulatory and