Taranaki campaigner for sexual abuse victims Bob Stevens is celebrating ACC's about-turn on strict new claims criteria which denied help to hundreds of sexually abused New Zealanders. "For those of us willing to stand up and fight, it has come to pass," Mr Stevens said.© 2010 Fairfax New Zealand Ltd
An experienced sexual abuse counsellor, Mr Stevens was among the first to condemn ACC's toughened stance which required claimants to have a diagnosed psychiatric condition.
Last week an independent panel, the Sensitive Claims Pathways Review Panel headed by Dr Barbara Disley, strongly criticised ACC for implementing the new pathways. It has called for urgent action to ensure sexual abuse survivors, especially children and those with special needs, get fast-tracked assistance from ACC in future. It also wants to see a representative working party put in place to ensure processes are improved and are focused on the client.
Last year, Mr Stevens was so incensed with ACC that he threatened to return the QSM awarded for his pioneering work in the field of sexual abuse.
Mr Stevens says he is gratified by the panel's 14 recommendations to ACC Minister Nick Smith, calling it a credit to those who put it together. "While they have certainly given ACC a lot of reasons to reconsider their clinical pathways, they have done it in a respectful and helpful way that will help ACC to reconsider," Mr Stevens said. "At the end of it all, let's hope the people who have been affected by this can now receive the help that is due."
Mr Stevens was particularly angered that, since October last year, ACC required victims to be "labelled" with a mental illness.
ACC Minister Nick Smith implemented the investigation in May this year after acknowledging many were missing out on assistance. ACC had already taken action when last month it implemented an interim recommendation from the panel, immediately offering 16 counselling sessions to all sexual abuse claimants. After receiving the panel's final report last week, Dr Smith confirmed he was not satisfied with ACC's handling of the issue.
The minister, who had earlier said he would not involve himself in clinical decisions, promised that ACC would now be putting the panel's recommendations in place. "The report is quite critical of the way that ACC managed [the changes] and I accept the criticisms that are directed at ACC regarding that," Dr Smith said.
The panel said ACC's communications with sexual abuse victims and providers had often been inappropriate and inadequate. "These need to be improved as a matter of urgency," the panel said. Some claimants, especially children and young people, had been waiting 10 months to be assessed. The panel's recommendations include:
- Priority is given to claims for children.
- All communications with survivors of sexual abuse be urgently reviewed.
- Establishing a working party to examine whether the workforce is meeting quality standards.
- That ACC works with the sector, survivor representatives and relevant government agencies to develop and implement a comprehensive quality framework.
- Ensuring all claims processes protect client safety, take a client focus and recognise the special needs of groups such as children and people with mental illness etc.
- Future changes are made in meaningful consultation with the sector and relevant government agencies.
- That in determining a mental injury, the test should be that the sexual abuse was a substantial or material cause of the injury.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/4121555/About-turn-on-abuse
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