ANGLICARE SAYS TO NSW PARTIES: “LIFT GAME IN LEAD UP TO POLL”

Sydney Anglicare today challenged all the parties contesting next Saturday's NSW state election to lift their game in a range of key areas the organisation says need urgent attention.

Disability services, mental health services, homelessness and social exclusion have all been identified as areas requiring action by any NSW State Government.

Ian Jackson, Director of Community Care, says Anglicare was seeking:

- A government response to the desperate need among young people with complex disabilities and young people in out-of-home care, for programs that support the transition from secondary school into life in the community and address the risk of homelessness.

- More crisis and medium to long-term accommodation for homeless youth in Sydney, particularly in the Parramatta, Liverpool and Fairfield Local Government Areas.

- A government subsidised scheme to equip NGO staff with the skills to meet the rising need for mental health support in the community.

- Action on the bi-lateral initiative with the Commonwealth government to address the issue of young people with disabilities requiring high and complex care being looked after in residential aged care facilities.

- Initiatives to address the issue of poor transport in Western and South Western Sydney which is compounding the problem of low-
income households experiencing food insecurity and social exclusion.

"These are just some of the issues we as a Christian organisation feel passionate about," Mr Jackson says.

"Our aim is to have a coherent Christian approach to our work in the community; that is evidence-based when it comes to service development, delivery and evaluation.

"For example, The 2001 census put the number of homeless in NSW at 26,676 with 46 per cent of the national figure under 25 years of age.

"We are hearing from staff who work with homeless young people and those at-risk of homelessness, that crisis and medium-long term accommodation is urgently needed in the Parramatta, Fairfield and Liverpool local government areas.

"This is a safety issue for these young people as the NSW Government has already recognised in its Youth Action Plan.

"But we are also looking for some commitment from the State Government to work with cities like Parramatta to create a CBD centre for young people so they have somewhere to meet and be involved in positive community activity.

"This is crucial to combating the social isolation and marginalisation from community life that is endemic to the experience of homelessness," Mr Jackson says.

Mental health

Mental health was another area that Sydney Anglicare highlighted in its challenge to the NSW parties.

"We feel that if the NSW State government is serious about improving services to people who have a mental illness, it will fund organisations such as Anglicare to put staff through a course like Mental Health First Aid," Mr Jackson says.

Pointing to evidence from the Mental Health Council of Australia, Mr Jackson said that people living with mental illness are more likely to have a low income, to be reliant on a pension and/or to live in poverty.

"This presents Sydney Anglicare with a challenge and an opportunity," Mr Jackson says, "to improve the skills of its staff and to play a part in educating and spreading awareness of how to provide a caring response to people with mental illness."

Disability

In the area of disability services, Sydney Anglicare is concerned that the plight of families that have a child with complex disabilities needs greater recognition and specific action through the provision of permanent supported accommodation.

Through the Kingsdene Special School, Sydney Anglicare operates a five-day a week school and residential program for children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.

On entering the program, children live at school Monday to Friday and return to their families on the weekend: while the partnership-care model enables parents to be actively involved in caring for their children during their time spent in residence and at school.

This supportive situation lasts until the child completes his or her schooling and then the pressure comes to bear on families again.

"In the words of a Kingsdene Social Worker, there are so many families out there struggling to manage day to day with their person with a disability," Mr Jackson says, "and most want full time, affordable care for their young adult."

"We would like the NSW Government to recognise that where a family needs a high-level of support throughout their child's school years - that need does not change when the young person turns 18; and in order to protect the supportive family structures that the Kingsdene program aims to achieve, permanent supported accommodation for these young people needs to be a priority."

Food insecurity

"Transport in the West, South-West and Illawarra has come to our attention thanks to work by our Social Policy Unit on the issue of food insecurity," Mr Jackson says.

It found in a survey of 121 Wollongong Emergency Relief clients, that 75 per cent of households went hungry at least once in the three months prior to the survey ; and this was backed up by a joint study of three highly disadvantaged suburbs in South Western Sydney that found 21.9 per cent of respondents were food insecure .

"What we determined from this and other research, is that a key issue in addressing food insecurity in our community, is access to affordable, convenient public transport," Mr Jackson says.

Young people in residential aged care

Through its Chesalon Care Division which provides specialist aged care facilities, Sydney Anglicare is aware of the situation facing young people in residential aged care.

At the February 2006 meeting of the Council of Australian Governments, it was agreed that the issue of younger people in nursing homes would be dealt with jointly between both tiers of government in a $244 million, five-year program from July 2006.

"The NSW Government has indicated its intention to sign the agreement, but is yet to do so," Mr Jackson commented.

"We recommend as a matter of urgency, that the NSW Government sign the bi-lateral agreement to enable the joint-funding initiative to come online: because while young people in nursing homes may be receiving the level of care they need, they are not receiving the type of care they need," Mr Jackson says.

Assisting young people through change

Finally, for young people who have grown up in foster care, Mr Jackson says that greater attention is needed on what happens post-care.

"Leaving school should be a triumph " a time of celebration and looking forward to new opportunities: not increased stress and vulnerability as is often the case for young people who are leaving statutory care.

"Research has shown that 80 per cent of young people living at home with parents, complete their HSC. But only 36 per cent of kids who have grown up in foster care complete their HSC."

Sydney Anglicare sees the need for a program that covers the transition from care to full independence, one that concentrates on practical living skills; further education and workforce participation.