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To fully understand the conception of what we now know
as Kith and Kin, it is necessary to go right back to 1973, when the parents
of a severely handicapped child attending a local School were sent a letter
requesting that they keep their child at home. A member of a parent support
group called the Mother’s Club, felt that this was terribly unfair
on the family, and brought the matter up at a subsequent meeting, hoping
something could be done to assist the family. The other mothers gave their
full support, and the result was a plan to develop a Minding Group for
this child and other disabled children who had previously been denied
access to schooling or any other service.
The Minding Group began operation in April 1973, open
for one day per week in a building loaned by the Queensland Subnormal
Childrens Welfare Association (QSNCWA). A majority of the volunteers who
ran the Group were mothers of handicapped children themselves.
The main objective of this Group was to give parents
a break from the perpetual task of caring for a mobile, “severely
retarded” child. There was also a slight hope that the children
themselves would benefit from the experience, although there were no great
expectations due to lack of skills and equipment in this regard. The Group
maintained the same basic operation for eight years, with the service
being extended to two days per week.
At about the same time as the Group’s beginning,
there was mention in the local media of a Community Villa to be constructed
in Townsville. The Townsville Daily Bulletin reported in 1973 that, “First
steps have been taken in the planning of accommodation at Townsville for
a unit of suitable size to care for profoundly and severely retarded patients.”
For the entire duration of the Minding Group, there was a continual hope
that the proposed Villa would eventuate, however this dream was never
realised.
In 1979, there was a “crisis” situation for
one of the families whose elder daughter attended the Minding Group. Her
younger sister, who had been at a local School, had her attendance reduced
to three days per week. The consequent strain placed on the family was
profound. In early 1980, the family received a threat of complete expulsion
from the School, and this threat was carried out later that year.
This caused great concern for several other parents whose
children also attended the School. The feeling of being threatened soon
turned into fear, which eventually evolved into anger, as the long-awaited
services had never been delivered, and looked as distant as they had at
the very beginning. At the same time, parents whose children were attending
the Minding Group and who had received no training apart from the Minding
Group’s limited services were beginning to realise that with better
facilities and expertise, their children could learn some basic social
skills.
Many of the parents had been caring for their children
at home for all their lives- in some cases up to 25 years. The children
had been labelled “ineducable” by a Support Service, and declared
“ineligible” for their services. Furthermore, the Service
had failed to direct these families towards assistance from the Department
of Health, who had, by that stage, developed the Intellectual Handicapped
Services Branch (IHS). By April 1980, the parents began to discern that
their effectiveness in lobbying for facilities and services would be enhanced
even further if they became a properly constituted organisation. This
led to the birth and the formation of Kith and Kids.
In the Second edition of the Parent Support Group for
the Severely and Profoundly Retarded Bulletin, the naming of Kith and
Kids was explained; “We have chosen the name Kith and Kids Association,
as we wanted something simple and catchy. It will only be through publicity
that people will come to associate this name with the children we are
hoping to help.” The main priorities of the Association were to
“promote the welfare, well-being and independence of intellectually
handicapped persons... to ensure adequate facilities are established for
these disabled persons,” and, “...to monitor the quality,
policy-making etc. of these services... To promote public awareness and
encourage community involvement.”
The extensive lobbying efforts made by Kith and Kids
proved successful when, in June 1980, the IHS undertook a “Needs”
Survey of the Townsville region, made visits to speak with parents, and
made a submission to Cabinet. In November 1980, it looked as if the struggle
was finally over, as more reports in the local media once again mentioned
the Community Villa proposition.
The Townsville Daily Bulletin reported that, “the
State Health Minister, Sir William Knox, said yesterday he was convinced
that community villas for the intellectually handicapped should be established
in North Queensland”, as a result of the Needs Survey. The Villa
was explained as “... a community facility providing long-term care
and training, relief services for holiday or emergency situations, and
day care programs with an emphasis towards an educational-development
model”. The election was duly held, the Government returned and,
four months later, there was still no sign of the proposed 42-bed Villa.
The submission appeared to have been shelved yet again.
By this time, Kith and Kids was lobbying the politicians
directly, giving speeches to community groups, and trying desperately
to gain publicity via local media. The main breakthrough, however, came
when a father in the group telephoned Channel Seven’s Today Tonight
team, sparking the interest of the show’s Glenn Taylor, and it was
agreed the team would come to Townsville and cover the story. Many local
people and groups were contacted and asked to look out for the program,
which went to air on March 17th 1981. It introduced a considerable response,
both locally and in Brisbane, and precipitated a snowball effect of publicity-
some of which was quite controversial- in all of the local media outlets.
Prior to this, very few people had heard of Kith and Kids, or were aware
of the problems and unmet needs within the Association. Yet in a short
space of time following the Today Tonight episode, a great deal of community
support was gathered, telegrams and letters were sent, and a question
was put to the Minister for Health in Parliament.
Following this, a promise was made that regular visits
from the professional team of IHS in Brisbane would begin in 1981, and
that the facility would go ahead- “on a staged basis... depending
on money becoming available”. These visits, for volunteer training,
support and assessment, became a firm reality in July 1981, and continued
until IHS opened their Regional Resource Service in December 1982. A respite
care house was opened in conjunction with this.
Many local community groups gave their overwhelming support
to Kith and Kids, most notably the Society for St. Vincent de Paul, who
provided the rent money for the old Calvary Temple building for twelve
months as their project for the International Year of the Disabled (IYD).
The Mt. Stuart Lions Club donated $1,000 for furniture and carpet, while
equipment and money for running costs were donated by local church groups
and service clubs. Even the prisoners from the Stuart correctional facility
contributed by making equipment and furniture. A volunteer campaign was
put into full swing, while Kith and Kids shamelessly exploited IYDP and
received marvellous support from the local committee.
On the 13th of July, 1981, Kith and Kids finally opened
their Day Training Centre, with the assistance of Charitable Organisations
and a dedicated group of volunteers. The Centre offered the previously
disadvantaged children now adults a three day program, run by a dedicated
group of parents and volunteers. Kith and Kids was responsible for the
daily running costs of the program, the upkeep of the building and grounds,
recruiting and transporting of volunteers, and necessary fund-raising.
The centre catered for approximately 20 children and adults who had been
rejected by other agencies. Although originally only available for three
days per week, the service was soon extended to five days.
The biggest problem faced by the group was the recruitment
of volunteers necessary to run the service, as the volunteer/disabled
person ratio had to be one to one, and most volunteers were only able
to provide one day per week of their time.
In September 1981, a school’s commission grant
was obtained for rental, salary of one teacher and a part-time occupational
therapist. It was decided to split the group in two- the five to eighteen-year
olds were catered for by the Shepard group, while Kith and Kids employed
a coordinator to teach the adults. The new Kith and Kids program catered
for five adults with severe intellectual disabilities, aged between 26
and 42. The group was unique in that they had little to no training in
their formative years because there were no appropriate facilities then
available in the Townsville region.
The finances required to run the program, were obtained as a result of
direct application by representatives of Kith and Kids, and included donations
by service clubs and a grant from TAFE.
The church in which the groups operated was purchased
by the State Government in February 1982, after Kith and Kids approached
Dr. Lew Edwards, Treasurer, and the Minister for Health prior to the 1981
budget.
The under-eighteens who originally started with Kith
and Kids Association were taken in by Cootharinga School and the Shepard
group at Endeavour School, whereas the adult “Learning for Life”
group was still run by Kith and Kids, in association with the Intellectual
Handicap Services Branch in Townsville.
In 1983, Kith and Kids Association made a submission
to the Handicapped Programs Review, in which they reiterated their gratitude
of the community support, donations, volunteers and financial assistance,
while stressing the importance of an on-going financial commitment by
the Government.
Problem areas also addressed within this submission included;
1) the need for recurrent funding to meet salary requirements for experienced
staff
2) lack of information on where to obtain funding
3) and a life time commitment, since most of the local organisations ceased
education at the age of 18, regardless of the individual’s needs
4) relief placement- urgent need for funding to be released for relief
placement
5) agencies- more co-operation between agencies, to optimise resources
and staff qualifications
The transformation of Kith and Kids Association into
what we now know as Kith and Kin Association (loosely translated as “friends
and family”), began by looking at the individuals’ overall
needs, which demonstrated that the model of service currently being provided
was not appropriate to the group, so it was thought that the next logical
step to maximise each person’s community integration and independence
was to begin a supported employment program.(This decision was in line
with current Commonwealth thinking, the thrust being towards the employment
model) After a feasibility study undertaken by a group of private consultants,
Kith and Kin changed and evolved into a supported employment service.
(Delta Personnel)
The supported employment program failed to live up to
the expectations placed on it, parents became dissatisfied and concerned
for both the health and welfare of their children, so despite the best
intentions and commitments made by staff, the new model of service was
abandoned after only 15 months of the program beginning.
In July 1991, consultants from the newly formed Community
Resource Unit, (CRU) were requested to examine the needs of each individual
client. An alternative funding venue was sought , so after CRU conducted
various model coherency workshops focusing on the needs of the individuals
utilising the service, it was decided that the most effective model to
follow was the Community Access/Independent Living Skills Program.
This training program provided the clients the opportunity to enhance
their knowledge and skills while increasing their competence and confidence
in everyday community environments and situations with support. Thus in
turn, promoting quality outcomes . Access to community resources are facilitated
through one-to-one staff/client ratios, which provided people with real
developmental opportunities to participate in all facets of community
life as valued citizens.
Since it’s inception, Kith and Kin Association has been innovative
and open to new ideas and service systems. This is particularly evident
in the continually evolving strategies and programs implemented over the
past two decades. Kith and Kin have always been committed to providing
a better quality of life for people with disabilities. To this end, Kith
and Kin has a long history of involvement in numerous struggles to maintain
professional service standards and quality of life for all it’s
consumers, as well as people with a disability in general. Kith and Kin’s
dedication to helping people with disabilities, as well as their family
and friends, has not wavered over the years, and they now provide a wide
range of Community Access and Lifestyle Support Services to a diverse
range of clients with a distinct range of requirements and interests.
Attitudes and language have definitely changed in the time Kith and Kin
Association has been operating. People with disabilities are no longer
considered to be second-rate or “inferior” members of society,
and are now welcomed more willingly into the wider community. There is
more awareness in our community today, so support service providers such
as Kith and Kin now receive more community funding and support then in
previous years. While the Government has implemented various monetary
grants and funding. The struggle to maintain and to increase funding levels
appropriate to the needs of the individual will still pose a serious problem
for service providers, there in lies the challenge.
Kith and Kin Association would not be where it is today
had it not been for decades of unconditional support and dedication from
a group of parents, community members, and the many volunteers, who made
it all possible and worthwhile.
Note: the language used to describe people in places
throughout this document was in fact the terminology used during the era,
Kith and Kin Association refers to it only in the sense of historical
correctness.
Material / source
Minutes and records Kith and Kin 1973 onwards
Townsville Bulletin 1973,1980,1983,1985,1986,1992
Advertiser 1981,1982,1983,1984
North Queensland Register 1981
North Queensland Herald 1988 |
