TAMARA SYDENHAM
The Newman Government is yet to guarantee that current facilities offered at the Barrett Adolescent Centre at Wacol will be replicated.
An expert panel determined that the Barrett Centre model should be sustained to provide long-term care and onsite schooling for adolescents with severe mental illness.
A petition to save the centre has been created by Alison Earls who is concerned the government has not responded to the recommendations to sustain the level of care.
“No one representing the government has said that they will ensure that there is extended inpatient care with onsite schooling going to be available after 2014,” she said.
We want a guarantee.”
A possible alternative for the current inpatients and those wait-listed to attend the Barrett Centre will be ongoing community based care from their homes, which Ms Earls said would be insufficient.
“The reason they are at the Barrett Centre is because those other options haven’t worked for them,” she said.
Sometimes the reasons that they are having the issues they are having is because of the family environment, sometimes as a result of abuse, or sometimes there just isn’t the support there that they need.”
To show support for maintaining the current model of care being offered at the Barrett Centre please visit http://savebarrett.org/take-action/ and take 1 Minute to Help.