Lorem ipsum APPROPRIATE“Don’t be frightened toSERVICES take AAG’s purpose is to improve FORon people OLDER in ‘the system’”CARE LEAVERS the experience of ageing through CONNECTING RESEARCH, EXPERIENCING, OR AT RISKPOLICY and PRACTICE OF,“Safety HOMELESSNESS is a basic human right” A collaborative paper on what needs to be done endorsed by: Australian Association of Gerontology, Alliance for Forgotten Australians, Healing Foundation, Housing“We need for Aged a joined-up Action Group and Wintringham Aprilresponse 2020 for victims” “Men need to be having these conversations but I’m the only one in this room” “Police need to be called at the earliest opportunity” “We need to make people care enough to act” “We should ask for dedicated workers in CASAs to support older people” “We need a human rights-based framework for responding to sexual abuse” “We need to grab hold of what’s happening around elder abuse and make sure sexual abuse is included too” “Older trans and gender diverse people experience sexual abuse too” 2 Appropriate services for older care leavers experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY OF FUNDING The Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) Funded by the Australian Governement through the Conference workshop that was the basis for this paper was Dementia and Aged Care Services Fund. held on the land of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge the people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional owners of the land on which the workshop was held and thank them for welcoming us. The Australian Association of Gerontology acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; to Elders past, present, and emerging; and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including members of the Stolen Generations. WARNING TO ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ISLANDER PEOPLE OF CONTRIBUTORS Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander readers AAG extends its thanks to those who planned, convened are warned that this document may contain images and/or facilitated the workshop that created the foundation of deceased persons. for this project: u Dr Sandra South and Dr Victoria Cornell, AAG u Mr Ian Hamm and Ms Lisa Hillan, The Healing Foundation u Ms Caroline Carroll and Ms Lyn Langanke, Alliance for Forgotten Australians and Open Place u Mr Boris Kaspiev, Alliance for Forgotten Australians u Mr Bryan Lipmann AM, Wintringham u Ms Fiona York, Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) We also thank those who participated in the workshop - a full list of participants is provided as an Appendix to this report. This report has been prepared by Ms Kate Gainer, AAG. A collaborative paper on 3 what needs to be done ABOUT THIS PROJECT Joan was born in the Moreland This paper reflects the proceedings and outcomes of the Hospital and grew up in Melbourne. Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) workshop focusing on Appropriate services for older care leavers Due to abuse by her father, she left home experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, which was held as a young child and spent some time on 20 November 2018. The recommendations in this paper in a children’s home and in the foster have been developed by AAG in collaboration with the care system. partners in this project, following the workshop. The workshop was hosted by AAG in conjunction with the Australian Association of Gerontology has partnered in this Alliance for Forgotten Australians, the Healing Foundation, project with organisations that work with and advocate for the Housing for the Aged Action Group and Wintringham people who identify as the Stolen Generations, Forgotten as one of the pre-conference workshops for AAG’s 2018 Australians, and Former Child Migrants, and others National Conference. This was the first AAG workshop to experiencing homelessness whose choices may be limited look in detail at the needs of older care leavers experiencing by their mistrust or fear of institutional services. or at risk of homelessness. The Healing Foundation works with members of the Stolen The Aged Care Act 1997 (Cwlth) definition of people with Generations, delivering trauma-informed, healing-focused special needs includes both ‘care-leavers’ and ‘people who models of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless’.1 Special people who were separated from their family in childhood. considerations may apply to groups of people with special The Foundation works with communities to create places needs when the Act is implemented. AAG has previously of safety, providing an environment for Stolen Generations led a collaborative project on older women who are members and their families to speak for themselves, tell experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness’,2 in collaboration their own stories and be in charge of their own healing. with a wide range of experts and organisations who The Alliance for Forgotten Australians (AFA) is an support older people at risk of, or experiencing, organisation which promotes the interests of the estimated homelessness in Australia. 500,000 people known as Forgotten That project identified care leavers as a specific group of Australians, who experienced institutional or other individuals at high risk of homelessness. The initiation out-of-home care as children and young people in of the 2018 workshop reflected that action is needed to the last century in Australia. ensure services meet the needs of these older people at the Open Place is a support and advocacy service that intersection of two special needs groups. coordinates and provides direct assistance to address the Care leavers are characterised by their experience of needs of people who grew up in Victorian orphanages and institutional or other out-of-home care as children and homes during the last century. young people. The group is heterogenous as far as the reasons for their experience of out of home care, however— particularly for the older aged members of this group— there is commonality of health needs, based on the high incidence of physical, emotional and/or sexual trauma experienced as a result of being placed in ‘care’. 3 1. Section 11-3 paragraphs (f) and (g). 2. Three papers launched in August 2018 as the final products of the project are available at https://www.aag.asn.au/news-publications/ policy-papers/aag-collaborative-project-on-older-women-experiencing-or-at-risk-of-homelessness. 3. The word ‘care’ will be used in this report in reference to the institutional/official arrangements in which these people spent their childhood, but inverted commas will be used to reflect that those who experienced these arrangements did not consider that they provided for the basic needs necessary to constitute care. 4 Appropriate services for older care leavers experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness Wintringham is a specialist aged care service provider, which has established a range of housing and services to aged people who were living in poor and insecure conditions. Wintringham’s services were set up for older people who the aged care system refused to care for. In addition, Wintringham’s gradual and long-term approach to building trust enables better outcomes for people who have a fear of institutions. Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and their Home at Last service support older Australians to access and navigate appropriate social and aged care services. Their outreach work with different community groups increases their ability to reach out to and connect with care leavers who may have a distrust of institutions. Australian Association of Gerontology is a membership organisation whose purpose is to improve the experience of ageing through connecting research, policy and practice. Since 1964, AAG has been Australia’s peak body linking professionals working across the fields of ageing. The multidisciplinary membership includes researchers, aged care leaders, geriatricians, nurses, allied health professionals, policy makers, advocates for older people and others with expertise in ageing. The workshop included presentations from representatives of these groups, followed by a panel discussion, consideration of case studies and personal experiences in groups, and a collection of the thoughts arising from those discussions. This paper does not attempt to transcribe the conversations, but to summarise the thoughts that emerged on the day in a way that suggests future pathways to better access to appropriate services and supports for care leavers as they age. A collaborative paper on 5 what needs to be done CARE LEAVER RESOURCES In 2016, the Department of Health published the Caring for Real Care the Second Forgotten Australians, Former Child Migrants and Stolen Time Around Generations information package. This was produced with Helping Hand, a South Australian provider of aged care the input of care leaver groups. The package was intended services, has produced a guide Forgotten Australians, Real to assist professionals working in aged care to understand Care the Second Time Around. The guide aims to help the concerns, fears and anxieties of Forgotten Australians, aged care providers respond to and support the needs of Former Child Migrants and Stolen Generations in being re- those who have experienced trauma as children in state institutionalised when they access aged care. and institutional care. The Package resources include: Services such as Find and Connect Support Services—an u an information booklet covering issues and aged care Australian Government-funded initiative designed to assist requirements of Forgotten Australians, Former Child with the search for records and other critical information Migrants, and the Stolen Generations held by past provider organisations and government u a training facilitator guide including case studies agencies—are available to support care leavers, including on care issues of Forgotten Australians, Former those who are using aged care services.