Letter of acadd services closure june 2016

Education and Information Hope and Forgiveness Freedom from Addiction

A.C.A.D.D.2-6 Kantara RoadCANTON BEACH. NSW. 2263ABN: 30 246 316 893

Hopeline: 1800 033 108

phone: (02) 43 971177 fax: 43 971677

Website: www.acadd.org

“Touching Lives”[email protected]

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE INC. Challenging Ignorance and Stigma in Australia

June 30th, 2016

To the Editor

FORTY MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN MADE HOMELESS IN 48 HOURSWomen with children

Family members with drug related offences on bail forced to return to goalLive-in staff

On June 24th, 2016 the Australian Council on Alcoholism Inc. was forced to close the family

addiction recovery services at Canton Beach after 6 years offering rehabilitation to families

affected by alcohol and drug addiction for Rental Arrears.

12 male Staff from Madizan Pty. Ltd. employed as “security” entered the premises and

demanded to change the locks and proceeded to inform all clients and staff they had 48 hours

to vacate the premises.

It was no longer sustainable to maintain its creditors on the Minimal income of Client

Centrelink Payments

Newstart Allowance $ 320.00 including full rent assistance

Disability Support Pension $ 480.00 per week

Youth Allowance $ 220.00 per week

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.acadd.org/



Hopeline: 1800 033 108

phone: (02) 43 971177 fax: 43 971677




Charges per day per client 80% of total Centrelink PaymentEquates to $ 36.42 per day

which no longer sustained staff wages, volunteers, property lease, vehicles, property

maintenance and outgoings, laundry, cleaning, food, electricity telephones computers, client

medical needs, pathology, court support client transport and client care.

Rehabilitation Treatment Facilities are an urgent social need to treat the ever increasing

addiction epidemic plaguing our society (Ice in particular) however addiction rehabilitation

centres and facilities have no means of sustaining these services based on Centrelink

recipients federal government income as shown above.

It is a known fact that when a person enters an addiction rehabilitation centre for treatment for

alcohol and drug addiction that they are at a point in their lives where they have either been

incarcerated for drug related offences and have lost the capacity for employment, or a parent

has lost a child to Child Protection due to alcohol and drug addiction and families have lost

the bread winner and became reliant on Centrelink to survive.

These situations occur from the highest level of employment and income and they happen to

anyone.

An accountant, a nurse, a doctor, a labourer, a supervisor, a Protective Service Officer, a

retail assistant, a chief executive office, a director of an organisation, loses his job or business

due to active alcohol and drug addiction and immediately becomes Centrelink reliant. Even

more so now there is drug testing in the workplace.

It costs The Australian Government $ 300.00 per day ($ 2100.00 pw) to keep a prisoner in

Goal and $ 600.00 per day ($ 4200.00) to keep a juvenile in detention yet it is the expectation

of rehabilitation centres to survive on the average Centrelink Client payment of $ 36.42 per

day to offer rehabilitation care to the client.

Is it no wonder rehabilitation centres cannot survive to sustain their services to the required

standard of care needed to be provided to rehabilitate one addict and educate their families

on the disease addiction.

These statistics quoted from Civil Liberties Australia 2013



Hopeline: 1800 033 108

phone: (02) 43 971177 fax: 43 971677




Where a parent(s) loses their child to the Protective Care Office temporary or otherwise they

immediately lose their Family Tax Benefit and the Centrelink Payment is reduced to Newstart

Allowance. The parent, if they are to work toward winning their child(ren) back, must comply

to all undertakings the Protective Officers place on them – enter a rehabilitation centre and

treat the alcohol and drug addiction, attend Department of Human Services conferences,

solicitors conferences, court hearings, parenting courses undertake counselling all on

Newstart Allowance of $ 36.42 per day.

Rehabilitation Treatment Centres are to provide treatment and rehabilitation and make

allowance for the parent to fulfil all requirements and undertakings.

It costs the Australian Government approximately $ 3.3 billion for child protection and out of

home care placement. A study by the Social Policy Research Centre found that the cost of

caring for children in foster care is, on average, 52% higher than the costs of caring for other

children not in care (McHugh, 2002). At Canton Beach Family Addictions Recovery Centre we

assisted parents to successfully regain full time care of their children by working with the

Protective Care officers, providing special care and supervision to the parent whilst they were

participating in the rehabilitation process.

All this for a client Centrelink Payment of $ 36.42 per day

Over the six years of service The Canton Beach Family Addictions Recovery Services

provided:

Staff: Full time Drug and Alcohol Counsellor Diploma qualified

Full time Client Supervisor Welfare Certificate IV

General Office Manager

Reception and Intake Officer

Book Keeper

Project Administrator

Property Maintenance Officer

Volunteers



Hopeline: 1800 033 108

phone: (02) 43 971177 fax: 43 971677




Services •Pathology – regular urine testing

•Medical Care – from a designated local doctor’s surgery

•Psychological Counselling

•Drug and Alcohol Counselling

•Provided in House Department of Human Services accredited parenting courses

•Provided Court reports as required by various Government Departments

•Provided clients with transport to and from appointments – solicitors, courts, Human Service

Departments, medical appointments including: dental physiotherapy, hospital attendance

for expectant mothers, Centrelink appointments.

•Activities – indoor sport, outdoor sport, gymnasium, boxing training, meditation groups,

Shopping weekly

• Security – cameras weekend night watchman, regular night watchman

• Rehabilitation Program activities and book work

• Meeting attendance

• Provided Family Support – Family visiting weekends with full drug checks and supervision

• Education materials for rehabilitation of clients as well as the families.

• Groups, Course attendance in house

Then there is the added requirement of the organisation administration cost and overheads.

All this and more for $ 36.42 per day

Referrals for admission came from The Department of Human Services, The Department of Corrective Services, Hospitals, Doctor’s Surgeries, Medical Centres, other Rehabilitation Centres, the ACADD Web Page enquiries, and families phoning the 1800 Hopeline. – All over Australia

No government submission for funding ever came to fruition during the 6 years operation at

Canton Beach.

Over the past year every effort was made to meet the arrears in rent however to sustain the

maximum client capacity under the current existing conditions led to the property being

reclaimed.

On closure The Canton Beach Family Addictions Recovery Centre carried 150 outstanding assessments for entry from men women and children waiting for rehabilitation.



Hopeline: 1800 033 108

phone: (02) 43 971177 fax: 43 971677




Other Rehabilitation Centres have 8 to 12 week waiting lists or are also closing down due to lack of Government Funding. Recently Kamira Rehabilitation Centre declared their need for funding assistance.

We encourage the Federal Government to seriously look into the need for affordable

rehabilitation and treatment for the overwhelming amount of families affected by alcohol and

drug addiction as a maximum priority to meet the proven demand. There is no health care

cover for any addiction rehabilitation and $ 36.42 per day per client just doesn’t cover the

required need and duty of care for addiction clients.

The Australian Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Inc. on behalf of The Canton

Beach Family Addictions Recovery Centre, extends its gratitude to all Committee members,

staff and volunteers, Community agencies, private businesses, Accountants, Solicitors,

Medical Centres, Doctors, Psychologists, who dedicatedly gave professional services,

support and assistance over the years and regrets these most unfortunate circumstances.

We wish all the families and clients involved to the Australian Council on Alcoholism and Drug

Dependence Inc. and Canton Beach Family Addiction Recovery Centre, the very best with

their recovery from addiction and in God’s Grace continue long lived sobriety and clean time,

freedom from addiction.

We put up an urgent plea for the Federal Government to assist all addiction Rehabilitation

Services to survive and request the Federal Government take an urgent look at what the

client has to pay on their Centrelink Benefit to receive the rehabilitation and treatment they

need and to make Rehabilitation Centres viable.

We also seek the assistance of anyone willing to take a stand and assist the Australian

Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Inc. to resolve its financial issues and would

welcome all the support and help to continue to offer family addiction rehabilitation to families

in Australia.

Sincerely

Christa Bidgood

Project Administrator

Contact 0422835700

Letter of acadd services closure june 2016

Government & Nonprofit

Transcript of Letter of acadd services closure june 2016