Kestrel

Kestrel is a male only facility in Newcastle that only deals with people with a mental health disorder, intellectual disability and behaviour disorders and have found themselves serving time in prison usually for assault. Kestrels clients are referred into their care via the criminal justice system or mental health.

I spoke with Kestrel and they said that "they were meant to have a female ward but the governments policy on de institutionalising clients meant that the ward was scrapped. Therefore there is no facility for females in NSW like Kestrel."

Daniel Sues guardian said that Kestrel would be the ideal placement for Sue as the people who are in Kanangra are more intellectually disabled than Sue and she would be a threat to the other clients there. He also said that the way Kanangra would deal with Sue was to dope her up to the eyeballs so she couldn’t move. It’s not what Kanangra told me. Daniel told me that the "Behaviour Intervention Service know of six other women who would benefit from a facility like Kestrel. "

I told Daniel maybe the Anti Discrimination board should be contacted he told me to do it. I think he should've but none the less I did. They told me it is a case of gender discrimination and that the guardian needs to fill out the form and lodge the complaint. It has to be from a guardian or parent. I'm neither.

Now I wonder what will happen when I tell Daniel this. I think I’ll be told he can’t due to the politics or policies that his office are bound by.

I think in the end the complaint will have to come from me as I cannot see Daniel doing it. The trick will be how do I do this.