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A blind teenager who needed “constant supervision to be safe” was left alone at a public station stop after a support worker failed to show up.
The boy was in his teens classified as “total blindness.” It was also flagged as a fall hazard and needed “constant supervision to be safe,” according to its service plan.
A support worker was supposed to pick him up at the bus stop after school, but he was left alone.
A member of the public found him and called his mother.
“My son was left in a life-threatening situation because he is vulnerable,” the boy’s mother told the Health and Disability Commission.
An investigation by the disability service found that there were problems when their scheduled support worker was unable to attend the shift and the care coordinator tried to book a replacement.
The boy’s mother was not informed of the changes and coordinated care had not been communicated with the proposed replacement, says Deputy Commissioner Rose Wall.
Found that the care coordinator has not provided services to the child with reasonable care and skill.
“While the care coordinator’s error was administrative and unintentional, it was a fundamental aspect and requirement of her role, and it resulted in the child being placed in a vulnerable and potentially dangerous position,” says Ms. Wall.
She recommended that the care coordinator apologize in writing to the child and his mother and that the disability service update the HDC with the changes made and systems improved after the incident.
The names and locations of those involved have not been released to maintain their privacy.
