Kanangra Part 3

The plot thickens with DADHC. They will not admit Sue to Kanangra where she can get access to all Kanangra's programs and counseling services because of DADHCs no admission policy into institutions. So here is their brainwave, house Sue and Sue’s staff in a condemned building on the Kanangra site. That way "she is in a secure facility but not actually admitted. Everybody’s happy Julie” her case worker said to me.

They do not intend to fix the upstairs of the building that has rotten floorboards which is why the building was condemned. No, instead, and in keeping with true DADHC form, they propose to just close off the staircase leading to the upstairs floor.

Might sound reasonable. But if the flooring is bad enough to be considered an O.H.S issue for staff which resulted in the building being closed how does DADHC think they are going to get round this? Also if the floorboards are rotten what sort of condition are the supports in? I can see the headlines now, ID client and staff killed when floorboards collapsed at DADHC run facility.

This really does highlight just how little DADHC think of Sue's safety to even consider housing her in a condemned building.

What is wrong with these people? I do wonder how they would feel if I was the worker and they were the family member and I suggested housing like this for their sister. It also show that DADHC do not care about workers safety either.

I know Sue needs housing and that it has to be a secure facility, but it also has to be safe and a condemned building does not sound safe to me.

Kanangra Part 2

On the 29/10/2004 I received a phone call from the Office Manager of Newcastle DADHC. She told me they were now looking at placing Sue at Kanangra. That she knew that even if the funding money they were applying for was approved today there was no way that a house would be ready for Sue to occupy by her release date from Mulawa on the 27/01/2005. That they need a plan B and Kanangra was it. She said that Sue's case worker Jenny was at Kanangra with an architect to look at a space that was currently being used as a library in the main facility and to also look at another building on the grounds to see which would be easier and to convert to accommodate Sue.

All I can say is 'about time'. I think the only reason they are now looking at Kanangra is they don't have another option. They are under pressure from me, Sue's guardian, Mulawa and by now I'd imagine that People With Disabilities have spoken with them about Sue's housing crisis. Also they probably see getting Sue out of Mulawa as a way to get us all off their case. I have said all along she needs to be at Kanangra because they have programmes to meet Sue's needs, and will also keep Sue separate from the community as it's a locked/secure facility.

I haven't heard back from them yet to see what the outcome is but I hope for Sue's sake they place her there. The psychiatrist from Mulawa said to me "Sue cannot be rehabilitated in goal as don't have the programmes to meet her needs."

Senior Psychologist Mulawa.

I spoke with the Senior Psychologist at Mulawa on the 25/10/2004 about how Sue was going and to also see if she knew of all the reports about Sue such as her E.C.T. "treatments" and her diagnosis of Intermittent Explosive Disorder.

I could hear Sue screaming in the background. She said it was because Sue wanted morning tea, but Sue knew that they didn't have morning tea at Mulawa. She didn't know why she was acting up. I asked her if she had been told that Sue had had E.C.T. She said she hadn't. I told her that since Sue had E.C.T. she could not retain information as well as she use to. She said that it explained a lot about Sue and the way she behaves. I told her it was a DADHC dirty little secret about Sue and that they tell no one about it.

She said she knew about her other diagnosis of Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Attachment Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder.

She said that Sue is the most complex person that she has ever come across, that they cannot cope with her and that the only way they can deal with her is to put her into isolation. She believes this is not good for Sue, that it only makes her behaviour worse when she is finally let out to mingle with the other prisoners.

She said that Sue cannot control her behaviour, and that she has let Sue know that to get out of there she has to behave but it seems to be beyond her to do so.

So if she is out of control isn't that further evidence that her Intermittent Explosive Disorder, as well as the fact that she can't retain information, is part of why she is acting the way she is? Prison will not reform Sue, it will not be the catalyst for her to behave as she has a disorder and a disability, and when you think logically about it and join all the dots it is clear that her being a calm, nice, non-violent person is beyond her right now. What she needs a secure facility, one where she can't leave the grounds, that is specifically for people with an ID and behaviour disorders, a faculty that is trained to deal with dual diagnosis clients. A facility that can work out if medication will help her at this point and use special programmes to modify her behaviour. A facility that can cope with her, one that won't throw up it arms and go "we don't know what to do".