Information for in-home care workers
We can investigate allegations that an adult with impaired decision-making ability in Queensland:
- is being abused or neglected (including self-neglect), and/or
- has decision-making arrangements that aren’t suitable or safe.
Care workers who provide in-home care and support are often in an ideal position to detect abuse due to their frequent interactions with their clients. For example, you may be able to quickly recognise financial abuse that results in the adult having inadequate funds to support their daily care needs.
If you suspect your client is being abused or neglected there are several ways you can try to address the problem, including — as a last resort — asking us to investigate.
If we investigate, we may ask you to provide us with information to help us substantiate the allegation.
What should you do if have concerns?
Follow these steps if you think, or know, one of your clients is being abused:
1. Talk to your employer. They may decide to raise your concerns with the client’s family, who might be able to resolve the problem informally.
2. If the problem can’t be resolved informally, anyone can apply to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) to:
- appoint a guardian or administrator to make personal or financial decisions for your client (if they don’t have a substitute decision-maker).
- revoke your client’s substitute decision-maker’s appointment (e.g., a guardian or attorney) and replace them with someone else if the substitute decision-maker is the person causing harm.
If these steps don’t resolve the issue, you can contact us to request an investigation or find out who else can help .
Abuse of older adults and people with disability
Elder abuse is any act of abuse or neglect of a person aged 65 years or over.
Often, the people responsible for the abuse are family members, most commonly grown-up children. This includes children appointed as an attorney to make personal (including healthcare) and financial decisions on behalf of their parent.
Financial abuse is the most common form of elder abuse, and it’s often accompanied by psychological and/or physical abuse or neglect.
A greater proportion of people with disability experience violence and abuse than people without disability.
How to recognise abuse
Abuse takes many forms. Learn how to recognise financial and other types of abuse .
Enduring powers of attorney
An adult’s enduring power of attorney (EPOA) document can help you confirm who can legally make personal and financial decisions for the adult if they lose decision-making ability.
For example, an attorney may decide to restrict family contact with your client due to a family conflict. However, they may not have the authority to do so because they must respect the resident’s views, even if they disagree. This includes any desire the resident might have to see their family.
If an attorney is abusing your client, anyone can apply to Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) to have the attorney’s powers revoked.
What if a client doesn’t have anyone making decisions for them?
If a client with impaired decision-making ability doesn’t have anyone making decisions on their behalf (either formally or informally), help is available.
You, or one of the client’s family members or friends, can apply to Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) to appoint a guardian and/or administrator for the resident.
How do you request an investigation?
If the client you’re concerned about meets our investigation eligibility criteria, you can request an investigation .
You don't need to provide proof, but the more information you include in your request, the better. We need sufficient information to establish a reasonable suspicion that abuse, neglect or exploitation has occurred or is currently occurring.
If your client is at immediate risk of harm, please contact emergency services on 000.
How can you support our investigations?
If we’re investigating the abuse, neglect or exploitation of an adult with impaired decision-making ability who has a carer, it’s likely we’ll ask the carer for information. This is regardless of whether the carer requested the investigation.
If we ask you for information about someone you’re caring for, please respond as quickly and comprehensively as you can.
Delays in providing this information could slow down our investigation and leave the person at risk of further harm.
What if a client with decision-making ability is being coerced?
The person you’re caring for may have decision-making ability (capacity) but is being pressured, threatened or intimidates by someone else (e.g. their grown-up child) to act against their will.
If you’re worried this is happening, there may be other organisations who can help .
What if a colleague is abusing a client?
If one of your colleagues is abusing a client, you should report them to your employer.
If that doesn’t resolve the issue, you can complain to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, or the police.
We don't investigate allegations of professional misconduct. Instead, we look into claims that an adult with impaired decision-making ability is being abused, neglected or exploited by someone making (or failing to make) decisions for them.