The head of a disability services provider has publicly apologised to the family of an 11-year-old autistic boy who died after he escaped from respite care and was hit by a train.

Key points:

• Alex Raichman died in 2018 after escaping from respite care run by Civic Disability Services
• The coroner found his death was "entirely preventable if adequate safety measures had been in place" 
• The public apology follows an ABC report on Alex's death and evidence at the disability royal commission

A coronial inquest found the death of Alex Raichman in April 2018 was "entirely preventable if adequate safety measures had been in place".

Magistrate Harriet Grahame said the trust the family placed in Civic Disability Services to care for Alex was "betrayed".

Alex's parents, Dale Raichman and Sharon Braverman, decided to speak to the ABC's 7.30 program about their young son's death on Tuesday.

Civic CEO Annie Doyle faced questioning over the story at the disability royal commission on Thursday and was pressed as to why a statement provided to the ABC did not include an apology.

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Parents of 11yo autistic boy grieve his 'entirely preventable' death in care of Civic Disability Services(Elizabeth Wright and Celina Edmonds)

Ms Doyle told the inquiry she had already offered a "sincere apology" to Alex's family and "accepted our guilt" at the April 2022 coronial inquest. 

"I am happy to apologise again. I will go on the record as being apologetic about this incident," Ms Doyle said.

"I have no issue in saying that I got it wrong."  

The statement provided to the ABC was shown to the royal commission, which heard it was written by Ms Doyle and "reviewed" by Civic's lawyers.

Civic CEO Annie Doyle was questioned about Alex's death at the disability royal commission.(Supplied: Disability royal commission)

Ms Doyle was asked by senior counsel assisting Kate Eastman why Civic described Alex's death as a "tragic accident."

"Maybe I haven't described it as well as I could but for us ... it was tragic and it was an accident," Ms Doyle said. 

"I understand the family's grief ... particularly being a mother myself." 

'I hope there is further accountability,' mother says

Alex's death has had a profound impact on his mother, who now lives with post-traumatic stress disorder and feels she "lost her life's purpose" when he died.

Ms Braverman can't bring herself to remove the reminders of Alex around their house.

His bedding has not been changed since the day he died and his old handprints have not been washed off the wardrobe mirrors.

Sharon Braverman often sits on Alex's bed, which has been unchanged since the day he died.(ABC News: Brendan Esposito)

Ms Braverman told the ABC that she felt the response to Alex's death had been inadequate. 

She had already taken Alex's case to the NSW Ombudsman, SafeWork NSW and the disability royal commission.

She had a private session with the royal commission in June 2021, offering to appear at a hearing to raise awareness about Alex's death, as well as measures that could prevent a similar incident from occurring again.   

"Listening to Alex's case being spoken about ... it's just a real relief," Ms Braverman told the ABC on Thursday after it was raised at the royal commission.

"I hope that there is further accountability over his death as a result of this."   

'We have taken this very seriously'

Ms Doyle was asked at the royal commission whether she agreed with the coroner's findings that Alex's death was "entirely preventable".

"The coroner did say that," Ms Doyle responded. 

The coroner found Alex's death was "entirely preventable if adequate safety measures had been in place".(ABC News: Brendan Esposito)

Ms Doyle rejected a suggestion that Civic was trying to "evade responsibility" in the statement provided to the ABC by saying Alex's death was the only incident of its type in the organisation's 62-year history. 

"We have taken this very seriously ... it is not something that we take lightly," she said.

Alex was diagnosed with autism and an intellectual disability prior to his second birthday.(Supplied)

Ms Doyle said Civic had reviewed "everything to do with risk ... policy, procedure, property and ways of working" in the wake of Alex's death. 

"From the minute the accident occurred we have turned over everything," she said.

Asked if any Civic employees had been disciplined in relation to the circumstances of Alex's death, Ms Doyle said some staff had left the organisation. 

She confirmed that no board members had resigned as a result of the coroner's findings.

from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-16/civic-annie-doyle-apology-disabi…