The young Perth man confined to a dingy bedroom in a Department of Communities house will be allocated an extra staff member to support him during the night.
Yesterday Karen Parkinson told how her son Reece, who has autism spectrum disorder and some very challenging and sometimes destructive behaviours, spends most of his time locked in a bedroom with two mattresses on the floor and an ice-cream container for a toilet. His window is boarded up, and there are four locks on the door.
Reece resides in a house in Caversham, which a clinical psychologist, the Centre for Applied Behaviour Analysis and his family say forces him to live in restrictive conditions and contributes to his deterioating behaviour.
The department admits it is 'not ideal'.
Karen Parkinson has told how her son Reece, now 23 years old, spends much of his time in a dingy bedroom with two mattresses on the floor and an ice-cream container for a toilet.
Reece had been allocated two carers during the day and one on at night at the house, which his mother said means between the hours of 9pm and 7am he is shut in his room without access to a toilet. Her son told her an icecream container on the floor was to be used as his toilet overnight.
The Department disputes that Reece is locked in the room but due to privacy policies could not comment on the specifics of his case.
On Tuesday WA Minister for Disability Services Stephen Dawson said he had requested a thorough briefing from his department after hearing about Reece's conditions through the media.
“I have been told that Mr Parkinson’s needs are extremely challenging and comprise the most complex needs and behaviours amongst the people that DoC support," the Minister said.
“I have been advised that Mr Parkinson will have two staff supporting him overnight."
The Minister said he had directed the Department to actively work with the NDIA to establish medium and long-term solutions that reflect more appropriate accommodation as soon as possible.
The Department said yesterday they had not yet started designing the bespoke home he needed to meet his individual needs.
Reece carried the rings down the aisle at his sister's wedding when he was younger.
Greens spokeswoman Alison Xamon said she was shocked to hear of Reece's living conditions and that this was allowed to occur in WA in 2018.
She said the fact a vulnerable young person was forced to live in such squalid and sad conditions was an indictment on the community and an indication of the state of services for the disabled in WA.
She questioned why it was taking so long to sort out the appropriate accommodation for him.
Mrs Parkinson is still waiting for news on when the robust, bespoke home Reece needs will be built.
A spokesman for the department said a meeting with Mrs Parkinson would be arranged for later this week "to discuss the matters raised in the past 24 hours".
from https://www.watoday.com.au/national/wes…
A dingy mattress and a bucket for a toilet: the Perth man 'destroyed by the system'
By Daile Cross
When Reece celebrated his 23rd birthday, wearing his favourite Spiderman costume, sitting on the mattress on the floor of his bare room, he hadn't felt sun on his skin in two years. This is the story of a young man with autism spectrum disorder, who seems to have been 'written off' by the system.
A Perth mother says her son has been destroyed by the system she turned to for help with his care.
Reece Parkinson sits on his mattress in the room where he spends most of his time on his recent birthday.
Karen Parkinson has told how her son Reece, now 23 years old, spends most of his time locked in a dingy bedroom with two mattresses on the floor and an ice-cream container for a toilet. His window is boarded up, and there are four locks on the door.
Reece has autism spectrum disorder.
He eats his meals alone sitting on one mattress and sleeps on the other.
His mother says he has not had the opportunity to enjoy sunlight on his body for two years. He gets no exercise. He does not leave the house or do any of the activities he used to enjoy like gardening and swimming.
Reece has the mental capacity of a child, and is prone to destructive emotional outbursts. Mrs Parkinson says these outbursts can result in extensive damage to property, walls, doors and furniture and Reece poses a danger to the people around him when he is out of control.
But at other times he is an affectionate young man who loves being around people, completing worksheets and seeing his family.
Although she remains his guardian, Mrs Parkinson was forced to put Reece into full-time care about a decade ago after the family could no longer cope. She was told there was no scope for the government to provide care during the day and allow him home at nights as she proposed.
Karen Parkinson has told how her son Reece, now 23 years old, spends much of his time in a dingy bedroom with two mattresses on the floor and an ice-cream container for a toilet.
She says that for about 10 years her son has been moved between unsuitable short-term emergency care houses. While renovations were done to the homes to better suit Reece, they were not to the standard to ensure a safe environment where he would have access to activities and interaction with others.
Reece lives in a WA Department of Communities house and Mrs Parkinson believes he has been put in the “too hard” basket. That his restrictive living conditions and lack of intensive behaviour intervention therapy has seen his behaviour worsen.
His destructive outbursts and risk of running away mean he requires a specifically designed place to live.
Reece sleeps on a mattress on the floor and if he needs to use the toilet during the night must use an ice-cream container.
'Not a forever home'
His mother tells how eventually a house in Ballajura was purchased by the department for Reece. His parents, by then divorced due to the stress of caring for their son, moved homes to be closer to him. The home was extensively modified and the family was told it was his permanent residence.
But three years later he was again moved to temporary accommodation due to the loss of integrity of the internal walls caused by his sustained kicking.
She asks if this is the best her son can be offered when he receives NDIS funds to the tune of about $800,000 per year.
Reece's clinical psychologist argues the modifications of the Ballajura house were not planned by specialists with knowledge of his disability and therefore did not meet the specifications necessary to keep him safe and secure.
Reece now resides in a house in Caversham, which the clinical psychologist, the Centre for Applied Behaviour Analysis and his family say forces him to live in restrictive conditions and contributes to his deterioating behaviour.
He is allocated two carers during the day and one on at night at the house. During the day when Reece's behaviour is good, he comes into the activity room to engage with them and is allowed to use the toilet on request.
It is difficult to escape the impression that Reece has been 'written off' by decision makers
Clinical psychologist Wendy O'Connor
Mrs Parkinson says she has been told no carer could be alone with him as he posed a safety risk. So between the hours of 9pm and 7am he is shut in his room without access to a toilet. His family was horrified when they realised this was how he was living, given an ice-cream container on the floor in lieu of access to a bathroom.
The Department disputes that Reece is locked in the room but due to privacy policies could not comment on the specifics of his case.
'A human rights violation'
Clinical psychologist Wendy O’Connor, who has worked on Reece’s case, describes his restrictive living conditions as a human rights violation.
She says the system has failed time and time again to create a safe and suitable home for Reece, instead moving him around and forcing him to live in sub-standard conditions.
Ms O'Connor recently wrote a report into his treatment stating that the threat Reece's behaviours could pose to himself, others and property had meant his care had emphasized containment rather than development, growth and behavior change.
“Reece is still a very young man with a lot of potential who, when he is well, is very endearing,” she said.
“However, as a service provider it is difficult to escape the impression that Reece has been 'written off' by decision makers.”
Karen Parkinson says her son Reece doesn't deserve to live in the conditions he is subjected to.Credit:Daile Cross
She wrote that his living conditions all but precluded a good life and any opportunity for growth, development of coping skills and behaviour change.
Until Reece is able to live in a house that is purpose-designed for his needs, his quality of life will continue to deteriorate, while the personal and financial costs of supporting him will escalate, she says.
“Reece is now confined to a bedroom with access to an activity room when his frame of mind is considered not to present a risk to persons or property,” her report says.
“The support staff from DoCs and Intelife are doing their utmost to provide the best life possible in the extremely restrictive environment.
“Reece has not had an outing since moving ... as there is no safe way to transition him from his room to the bus, due to the limitations of the physical environment.
“Reece now does not have any meals at a dining table as he cannot access living rooms without the level of risk being considered unacceptable.
My love for Reece keeps me here. But it is absolutely devastating to be the parent of Reece.
Karen Parkinson
“Meals are taken in his bedroom with Reece sitting on the floor.
“He does not have free access to a bathroom and required protective processes need to be undertaken for him to access the bathroom.”
'He is such a loving boy'
Reece still believes in Santa and loves dressing up as Spiderman. He recently celebrated his 23rd birthday with a cake on the floor and a visit from family. His mother visits him about four times a week.
Mrs Parkinson says after an outburst her son knows he has done wrong, but he can’t control himself at the time.
He says sorry afterwards.
The pain of dealing with this situation for so long is evident in Reece's mother's eyes.
"My love for Reece keeps me here," she says.
"But it is absolutely devastating to be the parent of Reece.
"He is such a loving boy."
Mrs Parkinson has struggled for a decade, attempting to help her son, who was first diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of three. But fighting for him is draining, with the mother suffering emotional breakdowns due to the strain.
Karen and Reece.
Mrs Parkinson employed an occupational therapist from the Centre for Applied Behaviour Analysis, who wrote a report about Reece and his needs.
The report by the centre's associate director and occupational therapist Cindy Wieman says the behaviour support, environmental modification and medical treatment to address Reece’s behaviour has been "moderately successful at best."
He still had high levels of challenging behaviour that leads to property damage, self-injury and injury to others.
"The strategies are very restrictive in nature and impact on Reece’s quality of life and human rights," the report reads.
It describes his behaviour as compulsive.
"Reece isn’t necessarily 'deciding' to engage in property damage, rather he feels poorly about something; then notices something that might be breakable and then acts on the compulsion to try it out; and eventually breaks it bringing the episode to an end at this point," it says.
"When Reece is feeling better about himself or his situation he can
ignore the imperfections and not act on his impulse.
"Therefore, ensuring he is successful in activities and roles that are valued by him and others, building his skills and self-esteem will assist in reducing the behaviour over time."
The CABA called for a new, "somewhat aesthetically pleasing" home to allow Reece to engage in activities that will build his skills and encourage engagement with staff and others.
The primary goal of the home must be to reflect to him that he has value, the report says.
Reece walked the rings down the aisle at his sister's wedding.
It must be virtually indestructible, with the potential to become less restrictive as Reece’s skills improve and his challenging behaviour decreases over time.
The CABA report suggests Reece inflicts about $50,000 in damages to property per annum. It says that overall, the government had paid in the vicinity of $250,000 repairing damage and modifying homes.
'Not ideal'
When asked about Reece's case, The Department of Communities supplied a statement saying policies on the privacy of individuals receiving support prevented discussion of a person’s specific circumstances if they are identified in the media.
Marion Hailes-MacDonald, Assistant Director General for Disability Services at the department, said the young man's needs were extremely complex and he had very complex behaviours.
She said staff were acutely aware of people’s human rights, especially their right to make personal choices and right to prevention from harm.
Human rights were considered on a daily basis when planning services and they were never designed in isolation, she said.
"The department acknowledges that the current temporary accommodation measures in this instance are not ideal and we are working to address that as soon as possible," she said.
"There are limited numbers of bespoke homes in Perth that have been designed and built for people with disability who have extremely challenging behaviours and require robust houses.
"They are custom-designed and built to suit the needs of an individual. They are usually much more expensive to build than standard homes and designed with input from specialist therapists and architects."
Ms Hailes-MacDonald said she hoped the department could design services and a new environment to allow the gentleman to "live his best life".
Reece would be moved to another modified temporary home in the next three to four months. Building him a bespoke, robust, home tailored to his needs was the aim, but it has not been designed yet.
A mother's love
When asked what she wants now for her son, Karen Parkinson's list is shockingly basic.
She wants Reece to feel sunlight on his skin. To have access to a toilet. Behaviour intervention therapy to help him re-learn skills and enable him more freedoms. Education.
Ideally, he needs what is termed a 'robust home' in other states.
She says it has been heartbreaking to watch his behaviour regress through lack of appropriate treatment and being kept in such restrictive conditions.
He used to be an outdoor boy who loved the beach and playing with his dog.
He walked proudly down the aisle at his sister's wedding, carrying the rings on a pillow.
Mrs Parkinson and her family have dedicated their lives to helping Reece.
She trained as an applied behavioural analysis therapist when he was young. His older brother also gained qualifications and worked as his aid at school. His parents borrowed more and more money to help him.
After 10 years in care, she has finally spoken out.
"Reece doesn't deserve this treatment," she says, tears in her eyes.