The Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/news/9906/26/text/national1.html Homes for disabled to go private Date: 26/06/99 By ADELE HORIN The Department of Community Services will privatise about 200 of its group homes for intellectually disabled people over the next three years to make savings for Treasury of $12.4 million. As many as 900 residents could be affected by the decision, affecting three-quarters of DOCS's homes and outraging families and disability groups. The change, one of the most significant in recent years, has not been publicly announced. It has major industrial ramifications for the 2,000 permanent DOCS staff and 2,000 casuals affected. The Public Service Association has been told 19 group homes will be put out to tender by December. DOCS staff will be able to bid to run homes, but to be successful, "services will have to be cheaper than they currently are", according to a departmental memo. People with Disabilities executive officer, Mr Phillip French, said: "This proposal has been formulated and imposed by the Treasury ... People with disability are not cattle to be auctioned off to the lowest bidder." DOCS group homes are considered poor to mediocre. Two years ago, a report detailed assaults, rape allegations and a culture of violence in one home, Royal Place. But Mr French said there were worse group homes in the non-government sector, subject to even less monitoring. Ms Helen Seares, chairwoman of the NSW Council for Intellectual Disability, said families were worried that the "lifetime guarantee of service" given to residents by the former DOCS minister, Mr Ron Dyer, was at risk. They were outraged the savings would be returned to Treasury. The director of the NSW Council of Social Services, Mr Gary Moore, said: "Given the huge unmet need for disability services, this money should be spent within the disability field." However, some non-government services welcomed the opportunity to tender. The chief executive of House With No Steps, Ms Shirley White, said: "There's no doubt in my mind the non-profit sector can provide a first-rate service more efficiently and at lower cost." Wesley Mission's Mr Wayne Koivu said "being a Christian organisation, I believe we run the services more compassionately". However, one of the most respected non-government providers, Hornsby Challenge, will not tender, according to its head, Ms Trudy Van Dam. "To transfer 75 per cent of DOCS group homes in three years is not the way to go," she said. "It would need to be done more gradually." DOCS group homes are more costly to run mainly because of lower salaries for non-government workers. But that gap is likely to narrow next year under the Social and Community Services Award, currently being negotiated. The Public Service Association's senior industrial officer, Ms Ayshe Lewis, said DOCS faced a major cost blow-out in workers' compensation because of assaults on group home workers. "But rather than implement strategies to decrease assaults, it is shifting the problem to the private sector," she said. The Director-General of DOCS, Ms Carmel Niland, in a letter to staff, said: "I know these changes will cause some anxiety, so we will be supporting you during this time." Families and residents who want more information can phone 1800 643 924. This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited. ************************************************************************* This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
