Carer sick and tired of dealing with red tape
TOOWOOMBA father and carer Patrick Boyce is frustrated.
And it is not because his life revolves around meeting the demands of his autistic and intellectually disabled son.
It’s because of his dealings with the Department for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services.
Most recently Mr Boyce received a letter from the minister addressed to his son.
“I am unable to comprehend the letter, so how a 15-year-old with significant intellectual impairment could make any sense of it defies logic,” he said.
The letter, signed by the Minister for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, Tracy Davis, states that his son’s needs were assessed and support had been allocated to him. It also refers him to a “Discontinued Users Location Service Centre” for more information.
Flummoxed by the letter, Mr Boyce contacted the provided number, only to receive no answer.
He then contacted the regional office for an explanation, only to be turned away.
He has since written to the Premier, the leader of Opposition, Member for Toowoomba South John McVeigh and the Shadow Minister for Disability Services. That was over two months ago. He has only heard back from his local member, acknowledging receipt of his correspondence. As the funding uncertainty hangs over the Boyce family’s head, the sun still comes up and life with a disabled child goes on.
“Every day is a learning experience,” Mr Boyce said.
“There will be something else he wants or doesn’t want.
“If something happens that he doesn’t want to happen, then he has — to use colloquial terms — a ‘meltdown’.”
Mr Boyce said he would be satisfied if the minister acknowledged that she was sending out incorrect information and was causing grief.
The Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services did not respond to claims in time for publication.