Individual Advocacy & Support
Although many have shared similar past experiences, through our work with people who experienced childhood abuse in an institutional setting we understand that these can impact in different ways for each person. We will work with you one to one regarding your own support needs and will advocate with you to access services, entitlements, and opportunities in the community. You may need assistance with housing, advocacy, accessing health care, or community services. We can work with you to find the service and resources that you may be having difficulty finding in your community.
READ MORE >Staff at Lotus Place are trained to support and advocate with you if you want to be linked with police, criminal and civil processes and internal complaints processes with religious authorities, non government organisations, and government departments about your time in their care.
Commissioner of the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry The Hon Tim Carmody QC visits Lotus Place, March 2013.
The Historic Abuse Network (HAN) is a network of people who have experienced abuse as children in institutions, foster care and detention centres. HAN advocate from the lived experience of the impacts of childhood abuse and inadequate responses by those in authority of church and government who were responsible for their care.
Many past providers, including both state and church authorities, have developed Redress Schemes or, in the case of the church, one on one processes for engaging with you about your experiences of abuse and neglect while a child in their care. Lotus Place can provide you with information about, and can support you through a process with state and church authorities. However it is important to understand that we do not provide legal advice, and that we can only work within whatever process has been determined by that church or state authority. We cannot change it, but will support and accompany you through it. All processes with church authorities are individual and confidential.
Redress is a very individual and personal process, and each person has to determine what is right for them and what they can live with. No process as currently implemented, provides compensation for harm done.
State Governments have implemented Redress Schemes which operate for specific periods of time. Lotus Place does provide feedback to government on behalf of people who contact us, who were not aware of the Scheme during their specified timeframes.
For some this is advocacy about past abuse and trauma. For others it is linking with specialist services, or enhancing their relationships with their peers.
Over the past 20 years, Micah Projects staff have been in contact with over 3000 individuals who have experienced abuse while in the care of the state and church as children, or by clergy in a faith community.
As an organisation we have been involved in individual and systemic advocacy with churches, state and federal governments about the needs of people who historically were abused as children.
For more information please contact Lotus Place.
