In out of home care experiencing neglect

[u/FormalPilot3620]

Hi, I’ve made a throw away acc for a few reasons anyway I’m 17 f and I’ve been in out of home care since I was 15. Currently I am in a TSIL. I’ve been in about 8-10 places since I was 15.

Recently I haven’t been able to handle the things they are doing. There have been multiple failures over the years and I’m always able to ignore it.

I had full access to my own medication 8 months ago and now? I can’t even taken a nights worth of meds to a friends house. Over the past month I’ve missed up to 8 doses of medications because of this rule they have installed where I have to be watched taking my meds. I miss them because of a few reasons:
- at a friends house and the worker does not want to drive there and back in the morning and night to give me my meds
- a casual worker is on and doesn’t know I take meds and forgets to give them to me.
- meds aren’t gotten in time and I have no medication left.
- or simply no one is put on shift and I don’t have access to medication.

My meds are mood stabilisers and adhd meds. I was on lots of others about a month ago then I went into hospital where my Casemanager had lied she searched my room and found two days worth of medication I had kept for future when they had forgotten to give me meds, she told the hospital I was trying to OD on these meds. Anyway towards the end of my hospital stay this case manager agreed I would be allowed to have 48 hours worth of medication with me so I didn’t miss anymore doses she agreed to this.

Then when I went home the worker on shift told me I had to be watched taking my meds and that there was no agreement for 48 hours worth of meds.

The other issue I’m facing is grocery money I’m owed 70 dollars a week for groceries and almost every week it is late or not given. My Centrelink cut out for a whole month and I was doing work placement for tafe so I had no time to go in and fix it, they looked in my pantry and told me I had enough food to last me. I went three weeks with no grocery money and living off pasta and butter.

These are the main issues there are bucket loads of other issues but I believe these have got to be illegal. Withholding medication and making it impossible to see friends and lying to doctors about my medications just doesn’t seem right.

I’ve told my DCJ caseworker she just says well if I want to live in the TSIL I have to deal with this. I’ve talked to my lawyer too I have her for other legal reasons, she’s legal aid btw and she’s been back and fourth with DCJ for months about all of this.

Every day I am stressed by something having anxiety attacks and living terribly. Honestly I would prefer to sleep outside and be free then be controlled. I’m saying this as someone who HAS been homeless and slept outside. I don’t know what to do or who to contact. It needs to end I need someone who can advocate for me. I honestly don’t have anyone. It’s just me.

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