Home / Projects / REDRESS Scheme

Redress Newsletter No. 4 July 2010

Stories include:

•  $13 million in ex-gratia payments to date
• Extra counselling support available
• Accepting and How to make the most of your ex-gratia payment
• Assistance to help reconnect
• National Library of Australia project
• Unfolding Lives: A Memorial for the Forgotten Australians

Download the newsletter here.  

Redress Scheme

For further information on the scheme and on the Department for Communities click here.

Mayumarri WA Inc. 5 day program 

The next  Mayumarri 5 day program willbe held at

• Point Perron in Rockingham on
  Sunday 23 May 2010 to Friday 28 May 2010.

An information package is available and for more details please contact the coordinator on mobile 0429 979 074.

Also available are the results of an indepdent survey prvoing the success of the Mayumarri healing retreats throughout Australia.

Support groups for Redress WA applicants

PHOTO:  Support group at 24 High Street
(Photo reproduced with the kind permission of group members)
 

Support groups for Redress applicants have been running at 24 High Street Fremantle since November last year, and group members say they are really enjoying the experience. Once people get over their nervousness about coming, they find the groups a great source of networking, support, and information. 

People often think they’ll have to ‘tell their story’ to the group, but this is not the case.  Some group members just come along and listen, while others talk about the past, the present, or life in general.  Sometimes people request a particular topic, such as controlling anger or building self-esteem, and group facilitator Susy Vaughan is happy to focus on whatever topics are requested.

Groups are currently held on Wednesdays from 10am to 12 noon and 1-3pm, with morning and afternoon tea provided.  Some people attend weekly, while others come along once a fortnight or month. 

24 High Street is within easy walking distance of the Fremantle train station, and is close to cafes and reasonably priced restaurants, and some people come down for lunch before or after their group.

Group members often tell us that the hardest part was getting over the hurdle of coming to the first group. If you are a Redress applicant, or know of other applicants who might like to attend a support group, please call CBERS Redress Service (Freecall 1800-621-805) and book your place in one of our groups.
  

Start of Redress WA ex-gratia payment offers

Wed 17 February, 2010
Portfolio: Community Services

More than 100 eligible applicants today received offers of ex-gratia payments as part of the Redress WA scheme, the State Government announced today.

Community Services Minister Robyn McSweeney said ex-gratia payment offers for eligible applicants would range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $45,000.

The ex-gratia payments are in acknowledgement of the abuse or neglect an applicant suffered while in State care and is not compensation for the impact these terrible experiences had on an applicant’s life,” Mrs McSweeney said.

Redress WA anticipates that applicants involved in the initial round of offers will have money deposited in their accounts in the coming weeks.

Unlike the previous government, the Minister said applicants would not be required to waive their rights to seek further legal redress when accepting an ex-gratia payment saying this was unique to the Western Australian scheme, as compared to existing schemes in Queensland and Tasmania.

We are also making sure that people with a life threatening illness or condition, who have already received an interim payment, will be the first to receive an ex-gratia payment offer,” she said.

$114million has been allocated for the Redress WA scheme of which $90.2million has been set aside for ex-gratia payments alone.

The ex-gratia payment offers would be based on information provided by applicants - including their records of time in care - and is assessed against set criteria established for the scheme.

All applicants will be contacted prior to their applications being assessed, allowing them the opportunity to provide further information to support their claim, Mrs McSweeney said.

The Minister said those people who accepted an ex-gratia payment would receive a formal letter of apology from the State Government.

Redress WA applicants have told us that a formal apology is an extremely important part of helping them move forward with their lives,she said.

Redress WA expects to make all ex-gratia payment offers to eligible applicants by mid-2011. Approximately 100 applications would be randomly selected at a time for assessment.

Minister's office - 9222 8950  

SUPPORT FOR REDRESS WA APPLICANTS

CBERS Redress Service is an independent support service funded by the Department for
Communities to provide support groups for Redress WA applicants.

CBERS is not involved in the assessment or processing of Redress applications and all
such enquiries should be directed to the Redress WA Helpline (Freecall 1800‐617‐233).

A range of different support options is currently available to Redress applicants,
including the following:

• Weekly support groups in Fremantle
• Five‐day residential Healing Retreats in Rockingham
• Making your Will: Information Session in Fremantle on 23rd March 2010
• Computer classes in Mirrabooka
• FACT (Forgotten Australians Coming Together)
• Connect Groups
• Support Services for WA Care Leavers, a booklet available from Redress WA
  
  

WEEKLY SUPPORT GROUPS

Weekly support groups currently held at CBERS in Fremantle offer Redress applicants a
chance to build strengths and self‐confidence through positive sharing with others. Groups
run each Wednesday from 10am to 12noon, and 1pm to 3pm. A Friday support group may
also be scheduled, subject to demand.

We are getting great feedback from support group members. Many people say they
were reluctant to come along at first, but have been surprised to discover how much better
they feel after talking with (or just listening to) other people with similar experiences. For
bookings and information contact CBERS on Freecall 1800‐621‐805 or phone 9433‐3644.

COMPUTER CLASSES FOR SENIORS

The Edmund Rice Centre in Mirrabooka is offering free computer classes to people who
have a Seniors Card. Classes will be held at 18 Brewer Place Mirrabooka, and are available
for Beginners (First Click) and Intermediate level (Second Click). Maximum of 12 people per
class.

Sessions will run for 3 hours once weekly for 6 weeks, as follows:

For information and bookings contact the Edmund Rice Centre Mirrabooka on (08) 9440 6235.

MAYUMARRI HEALING RETREATS

Mayumarri is a five‐day residential program for survivors of child abuse that is often
described as life changing by those who attend.

Tom, a Redress applicant who attended a Healing Retreat in December 2009, says he
was amazed at how much he got out of the experience, and would recommend Mayumarri
to anyone who wants to make positive changes in their life.

Mayumarri Healing Retreats are run by survivors of child abuse with extensive training
and supervision by clinical psychologists.

Retreats in WA are held at the Apex Holiday Centre, Point Peron Road, Rockingham,
and are currently scheduled for:

Healing Retreats are currently offered free of charge to redress applicants, with
accommodation costs funded by Redress WA. This is a unique opportunity for Redress
applicants who want help to heal from childhood trauma and abuse. For further information
visit www.mayumarri.com.au or phone WA Coordinator Evee Knight on 0429‐979‐074 or
CBERS Redress Service (Freecall 1800‐621‐805).

INFORMATION SESSION: ‘MAKING YOUR WILL’

Making your Will: An information session on making Wills will be presented by the
Public Trustee at 24 High Street, Fremantle, from 10am to 12 noon on Tuesday, 23rd March
2010. Places are limited, so please book early by phoning CBERS on Freecall 1800‐621‐805,
or ConnectGroups (Freecall 1800‐195‐575).

CONNECTGROUPS

ConnectGroups: Support Groups Association WA Inc. is the peak body for support
groups across WA and can link you with one of the 850 existing support groups currently
operating in WA. Membership is free and support groups are open to all members of the
community. Groups cover on a wide range of problems such as depression, anger, and
family violence, as well as personal development groups focusing on topics such as building
confidence and self esteem, personal growth, health, and wellness.

ConnectGroups also offers free training workshops for support group leaders to help
groups become self‐sustaining, which can empower groups to continue running without a
facilitator if they wish to do so. Contact ConnectGroups on Freecall 1800‐195‐575 or phone
9228‐4488. Web: www.connectgroups.org.au

FACT:
FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIANS COMING TOGETHER

Launched in October 2009, FACT (Forgotten Australians Coming Together) WA Inc. is a
support organisation for adults who were in State care during childhood.

FACT Representative Laurie Humphreys says a key goal is to establish a resource or
drop‐in centre where Forgotten Australians can access services and information, and spend
time with like‐minded people.

Contact Laurie on 9337‐4850 to join the FACT mailing list or to find out how you can
help support this important work.

The next meeting of FACT is at 1pm on Friday 19th February 2010, at The Community
Centre, Perth Railway Station.

REDRESS WA

On 17 December 2007, the former Western Australian Government announced the $114 million Redress WA Scheme for those adults who, as children, were abused and/or neglected in State care in Western Australia. Since 1920, an estimated 55 000 children in Western Australia were under State care. Of these, 2921 are known to have been child migrants and up to 3000 were stolen generation Aboriginal children who were in institutions.

There have been a number of Government inquiries throughout Australia in relation to the abuse of children in State care, including the Bringing Them Home Report (1997), The Forgotten Australians (2004) and Lost Innocents – Righting the Record (2001). All these inquiries made specific recommendations regarding an apology, support and/or counselling services and some form of monetary redress (ex gratia payment) for the survivors of abuse.

As a result of these recommendations, Redress WA was created to help survivors of state care maltreatment move forward with their lives by acknowledging their abuse and/or neglect, formally apologising, and providing an opportunity for them to record their stories.  The scheme also offers an easier path to reparation than is presently available through the courts and is also available to those who are currently precluded from seeking compensation in this way.  This alternative to pursuing a claim through the court process is less traumatic, less costly and will result in a quicker settlement.

Most importantly, the scheme makes available to eligible applicants strategies for healing through counselling and other support services.

Redress WA joined Tasmania and Queensland as the only states to introduce a 'redress scheme'.

ConnectGroups and REDRESS

As mentioned above, a significant feature of the scheme is the provision of services to assist individuals whose lives have been adversely affected by the impact of their experiences in state care, heal and move forward.  To help accomplish this ConnectGroups has joined the Redress WA Scheme.   It is anticipated that our knowledge and expertise in sustainable support group development and maintenance, will ensure support for survivors remains on-going long after the Redress funding has gone.

Additionally, ConnectGroups will perform a number of important functions for the scheme:

• We will be a referral point for applicants to access groups, including maintaining and up-to-date database of groups currently running
• We will coordinate the promotion of groups in conjunction with the service providers, including
• The development of promotional material for distribution to service providers
• The development of links on the ConnectGroups and Department for Communities web sites to enable applicants easy access to information and resources, and
• Placing articles in Newsletters and other outlets regarding Redress WA as needed
• We will assist in the development of support groups by offering information, assistance and training to service providers as required, and
• We will offer a referral service to Redress applicants to access longer term support group options and/or set up their own support groups.

The outcomes for the group work will be to provide Redress WA applicants with:

• A supported environment in which shared experiences can be explored
• Information on a variety of topics in accordance with the needs of the group
• An active referral service should they request assistance from mainstream services and
• An opportunity to develop on-going self help groups.

For more information, please see:

• REDRESS Support Groups Database
• Redress Information for applicants
• Redress Service providers