Welcome to Grafton Services Australia Limited. A not for profit registered Charity Background.
The Victorian government funded an International review of disability services to identify an alternative to behaviour management approaches. The Office of the Senior Practitioner at the time discovered a agency in Winchester Virginia that as a result of an organisational failure. Had authorised and implemented an alternative approach that witnessed a significant reduction in the use of restrictive practices and consequential Behaviours of Concern. The upshot of this success was that the participants increased their levels of functional autonomy and seen a reduction in workplace injuries.
A pilot program was conducted within a Victorian facility and they were able to demonstrate the similar results as those obtained from the Winchester experience. A full implementation of the approach was planed for Victoria but as a result of a government change and a move to transition all disability support services to the National Disability Insurance Scheme no further implementation occurred.
The founder and CEO of Grafton Services Australia has continued the struggle with government (State and Federal) to implement the unique practice to the benefit of participants in Victoria.
A location for the service has now been identified in Learmonth Victoria and will see a disused motel site for a maximum of 7 participants.
The target population are participants who are currently residing in existing services where their behaviours have been assessed as so unacceptable that they are subjected to restrictive practices to prevent harm to themselves and others. Unfortunately, the outlook for these participants is bleak and will see them continuously subjected to these restricted practices for life.
The Grafton Services approach confirms the US based experience that a participant can function without the use of restrictive practices and in fact be taught living skills to live independently within their community of choice.
Grafton Services believes that its commitment to utilizing evidence-based best practices and continuous quality improvement as its standard business model is the best way to ensure that optimal outcomes define our standard of care.