• CELEBRATING • 40 • YEARS • OF • SERVICE •
A message from Lois Boswell Chief Executive , DHS
Last year , we were shocked and saddened by the horrendous death of Annie Smith .
Today , criminal proceedings against her former support worker returned to court .
While I will not risk prejudicing these proceedings by making any specific comments on the matter , I would like to acknowledge the real improvements that have been made to our systems of safeguarding for vulnerable people with disability .
While Annie was an NDIS participant and no longer one of our clients , South Australia has rightly taken the time to reflect and learn from the horrific failings in her care .
We at DHS are working hard to respond to the recommendations of the independent safeguarding
task force , including :
• The establishment of a new , state-wide
individual advocacy service to help South Australians with disability access and receive the supports they need ;
• Supporting more than 90 state authorities to publish their Disability Access and
Inclusion Plans ;
• Executing new signed agreements with the Commonwealth to allow information held by the NDIS Commission to be shared with state agencies ; and
You can read more about each of these actions on the
DHS website .
While there is still more work to be done , these actions have made a meaningful difference to the lives of vulnerable people with disability in our state .
EBL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER 5