Lotus Services
As we approach the 15th anniversary of the National Apology to Forgotten Australians, a key message we keep hearing from people with lived experience is the need to continue acknowledging the lifetime impacts of abuse in institutional settings. While much work has been done, much more is required to narrow the significant policy and service gaps that still exist.
Lotus Support Services continues to focus on enhancing trauma-informed practice, listening to Forgotten Australians as they continue to tell us that they deserve to feel safe, experience transparency in process, be in control of their supports and have choice over justice making and healing opportunities.
Lotus Services continues to advocate with Forgotten Australians for systems to be educated and acknowledge past harms so that they are not repeated. From evaluating the DRC support service, and advocating for specific funding streams for Forgotten Australians and Aged Care Support, to chairing the National Aged Care roundtable and operating as a member of the national peak body The Alliance For Forgotten Australians, supporting Forgotten Australians to the Survivor Roundtable with Dept. Social Services there is a commitment to work hand in hand with those with a lived experience to ensure that survivor voices are prioritised.
Care Finder Co-location and Integration
One living example of trauma-informed principles and service integration is the co-location of our Care Finder program, run by Micah Projects’ Inclusive Health Partnerships Cluster. Two Care Finders have been embedded within Lotus Place, dedicated to helping Forgotten Australians, with a focus on assisting ageing people with a history of institutional abuse to access appropriate services. The Care Finder team and Lotus Place staff work collaboratively to ensure that people are not at risk of experiencing abuse in their later years, in the same way they did as children.
Key figures
71 people
supported by Care Finders at Lotus Place
1,222 sessions
of care provided
Find out how care finders work across our other services
Inclusive Health PartnershipsRedress
Lotus Support Services has seen the average age of Redress applicants drop by 15 years due to greater engagement with services supporting younger victims of institutional sexual abuse
Key figures
110 people
lodged an application to the Scheme
82 people
received an outcome from the Scheme
Key figures
Approximately $7,134,000
in redress from the 82 outcomes
“Lotus is a beautiful place and the staff there are beautiful. They have helped me so much for so long” - Michael
# |
Impact |
---|---|
7 | people were supported to access the counselling and psychological care component of redress |
3 | people were supported to access a Direct Personal Response from the responsible institution(s) |
73 | people received warm referrals to other services |
Of the 122 people who chose not to pursue redress:
# | Outcome |
---|---|
39 | people were not ready to continue or exploring civil litigation |
83 | people are now with another service, self-lodged or unable to be contacted |
Disability Royal Commission Closes
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability closed in late 2023, after making 222 recommendations.
With the completion of the Disability Royal Commission and Micah Projects' support services ended in December 2023.
The Disability Royal Commission team contributed to 222 recommendations aimed at targeting laws, policies, structures and practices. Many of those supported by the DRC team identified an ongoing need for practical assistance.
Lotus Place contributed to the transitional support of individuals as they finalised their journey through the Royal Commission.
Key figures
130 people
were supported by Micah Projects’ Disability Royal Commission Team to have a voice and contribute to broad systems reform in the disability sector
Continuing Support
The Redress team continued to support applicants and were successfully re-funded for an additional three years to bring support up until the final year of The Scheme in 2027. Thanks to the regional Lotus Place collaboration with a Redress worker located in each Lotus Place across the State the waitlist for redress services have reduced to an 80-90 people waitlist.
Find & Connect
Find and Connect has experienced challenges relating to record searching as the National Redress Scheme has added significant burden to institutional record departments across the Country.
Key figures
258 brokered sessions
of counselling were provided to 172 Individuals
362 people
were assisted with records searching and genealogical family tracing
“Lotus is a beautiful place and the staff there are beautiful’. “They have helped me so much for so long”
- Michael Hogan
Lotus Place
Lotus Place has continued to see a greater level of people seeking practical support in their local community.
Under pressure service systems has meant that people require greater assistance as they navigate through necessary supports while Forgotten Australians continue to identify gaps in social and policy areas which fail to adequately acknowledge the lifetime impacts of a history of childhood institutional abuse.
Key figures
28 people
were supported to engage in skills based training and psychosocial activity
Key figures
6 events
for Remembrance Day were hosted across the Queensland
48 art groups
facilitated for Forgotten Australians
42 craft groups
facilitated for Forgotten Australians
Key figures
1,037 people
people received the quarterly newsletter communication
Expanded Outreach
Lotus Place has expanded its outreach capacity with the addition of a second outreach worker in South East Queensland and now has monthly services in regional areas.
A greater need for practical support continues to be required for an ageing cohort coupled with a cost-of-living crisis.
"Lotus Place is a sense of belonging. A place to go and feel valued and keep connections. The friendly welcome I receive when entering the building makes my day and no matter what we have been through or are going through - we are family and understand each other. I would feel lost without Lotus Place"
- Di