What is neglect?

A young woman trying to talk to a young man, but the man isn’t listening. He has his arms crossed.

Neglect is when someone says they are going to help you but they don't.

They might not:

A montage of 9 images. The first is a doctor getting a syringe ready. The second is a doctor writing something down. The third is a support worker helping a woman get dressed. The fourth is a woman helping another woman eat a meal. The fifth is 2 women high-fiving. The sixth is a woman with one hand raised and the other pointing at herself. The seventh is a man and a woman introducing themselves to each other. The eighth is a woman supporting a girl and putting her hand out to say stop. The ninth is a family walking their dog down the street.

give you medicine you need
allow you to see a doctor
help you stay clean and comfortable
give you enough to eat and drink
treat you as an equal
think about your feelings
treat you with respect
keep you safe
let you see your friends and family.

All of these things are wrong

Anyone could neglect you, including:

A montage of 6 images. The first is a woman on the ground, shielding herself while a man is clenching his fist in front of her. The second is a man threatening to punch another man. The third is a support worker getting frustrated and grabbing an older woman by the arm. The fourth is 3 young people together in a kitchen. The fifth is a group of staff members having a meeting. The sixth is a group of young people laughing and pointing at another girl, who is standing alone.

family
friends
carers or other people who support you
neighbours or people you live with
people you work with
members of your community.

A young man shrugging with his hands in the air

The person neglecting you might not know what they're doing is wrong.

You might feel too scared to:

A young man putting his hand up to say something

speak out

A woman putting her hand out to say stop

stop them.

You might not know how to get help.

A woman has her hand over her mouth while another woman is talking to her

They might make it hard for you to tell anyone.

If neglect happens, it is important to speak out.

You should tell someone you trust.

Who can help you?

Exclamation mark inside a circle and a phone icon

If you are:

in danger now, call the WA Police on 000
not in danger right now, call the WA Police on 13 1444.

An advocate is a person who can help you or speak up for you.

If you would like support from an advocate, call People With disabilities WA on

(08) 9420 7279

1800 193 331

If you want to make a complaint about a disability service, contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission:

1800 035 544

contactcentre@ndiscommission.gov.au

www.ndiscommission.gov.au

An icon of a person looking sad with a phone icon

If you want to report neglect, call the Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline on

1800 880 052

Brendan's Story

A teenage boy sitting on the ground with his arms on his legs, looking sad

I'm always hungry. I live with foster parents and they don't feed me properly. They often expect me to make my own food.

Sometimes the food they give me smells bad and has mould on it. It's disgusting!

One day, my stomach was rumbling so badly that I decided to tell my teacher what was going on.

She spoke to my foster parents and now things are much better. I'm getting better food at home and I'm also taking part in a free breakfast program at school.

I'm glad I asked for help.

How to get help

Download the factsheet

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