New safeguards against abuse
Senator Santoro
The Federal Government has announced a $90.2 million package of reforms aimed at safeguarding older people in residential aged care homes from sexual and serious physical assault.
The reforms, anticipated to take effect from April 1, 2007, include the creation of a new Aged Care Commissioner, rigorous new complaints investigation procedures, a regime of compulsory reporting of abuse, and legislative protections for whistleblowers.
A new Office for Aged Care Quality and Compliance will replace the Aged Care Complaints Resolution Scheme and trained investigative staff will have greater powers to examine complaints from residents, their families or staff of homes.
The new Aged Care Commissioner will replace the existing Commissioner for Complaints and will have wide-ranging powers to conduct and initiate investigations into the quality of care provided in residential facilities, according to Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro.
“A further central element of these new reforms is the introduction of compulsory reporting by approved providers of incidents of sexual and serious physical assault in aged care homes,” Senator Santoro said.
“Under the new complaints arrangements providers of residential aged care will be required to report incidents involving alleged sexual or serious physical assault to the police and to the Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance. In addition, this new measure will protect whistleblowers in aged care homes from harassment or discrimination as a result of their notifications of these alleged incidents.”
This latest announcement follows Senator Santoro’s announcement in April of compulsory background checks for aged care staff and volunteers, and a significant increase in random unannounced inspections of aged care homes. Together with the earlier changes, the new measures take the total value of the government’s response to abuse allegations to more than $100 million over four years.
