Page 3137 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011
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in 2007-2008. Certainly this year, there is an additional $14 million over four years to address this chronic shortage. This year the budget is $83.6 million but, as was highlighted during the estimates committee hearings, even this falls short of the ideal.
In the next 10 years it is anticipated that 26 per cent of carers will look to move away from primary caring roles, because of age, thus reducing capability. There is an additional $5.78 million delivered over four years to develop sustainable community-based accommodation and support arrangements.
I raised, during the estimates hearings, the disconnect many in the disability sector feel. They feel the department does not understand them, that they are not listening, while departmental officers assured me that there are processes and communication channels, that there is a disability information line that people can access and a client feedback line. I think it is an area that needs more work and perhaps more promotion.
The transition from school to adult life and post-school options is another area of great complexity. The department has guaranteed 12 hours of support a week for severely disabled children and suggests there is potential for flexibility. I spoke recently with the mother of a young person soon to transition from school, and she was distraught about how she was going to cope. Quite by coincidence, just before dinner this evening, I heard again from that same mother. She asked what more she could do. She has written to both the minister and the Chief Minister over a month ago and has received nothing more in that month than an email acknowledging receipt of her letter.
I trust that the assurances offered in the hearings by departmental officers, that support is appropriate for the needs and the future aspirations of young people, will be upheld. While I have got the attention of both the minister and the Chief Minister, I would urge them to have a look at the letter that has arrived from this woman who is again, I stress, under a fair bit of pressure and is looking for some measure of support from both or at least one of them.
The committee’s recommendation No 172 in this regard, proposing the government review the post-school options currently available, was noted but the comments attached to the response give the impression that the department does not really believe it is such a problem and that, in any event, the development of a national disability insurance scheme will provide the opportunity to examine how services are structured and funded. It is a disappointing response.
I am encouraged by discussion on the development of after-school and vacation care services. At the estimates committee, the minister suggested that some work had been commissioned dealing with teenagers with very complex and challenging behaviours and that the report should be completed by the end of June. I look forward to hearing the result of those studies. It is a service that is needed by parents of children in both mainstream and special schools.
There was some confusion as to exactly how many extra hours of community access were to be delivered and indeed what they were for. Recommendation 173 sought to clarify the position by August of this year and also asked the extent to which there
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