Yooralla (officially the Yooralla Society of Victoria) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

disability services organisation in Australia, supporting over 30,000 Victorians living with a disability.

History

The Yooralla Society of Victoria was established in 1977 as a merger of the Yooralla Hospital School and the Victorian Society for Crippled Children.

Yooralla Hospital School (1918–1977)

In 1918, Evangeline Ireland established the Yooralla Free

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

for Crippled Children, a school for disabled children. She was motivated by the discovery of a disabled child whose parents left her in a chicken coop while they were working. It was initially housed in Fitzroy, but after a few months relocated to Carlton, eventually finding a more-or-less permanent home on Pelham Street. During World War II, the school was evacuated to

Mount Macedon Mount Macedon ( ; or ) is a dormant volcano that is part of the Macedon Ranges of the Great Dividing Range, located in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The mountain has a ...

. It eventually acquired several other properties.

Victorian Society for Crippled Children (1935–1977)

The Victorian Society for Crippled Children was established in 1935 by Eleanor Latham, the wife of Chief Justice Sir John Latham. It was closely tied to the Yooralla Hospital School and the

Royal Children's Hospital The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), colloquially referred to as the Royal Children's, is a major children's hospital in Parkville, Victoria, Parkville, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Regarded as one of the great C ...

. After World War II it was renamed the Victorian Society for Crippled Children and Adults. It operated a number of residential hostels for disabled people, as well as recreational facilities and training centres.

Abuse allegations

In November 2014, the Napthine government and the Victorian opposition both pledged to hold an inquiry into the state disability sector in response to an investigation by

Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...

and Fairfax airing allegations that Yooralla failed to act on warnings about a carer who

sexually assaulted Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexua ...

vulnerable clients. Former National Disability Commissioner Graeme Innes has called for a national inquiry as the

National Disability Insurance Scheme The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a scheme of the Australian Government that funds reasonable and necessary supports associated with significant and permanent disability for people under 65 years old. The scheme was first int ...

would expand the number of group homes for Australians with disabilities. In February 2015, the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives. The powers, role and composition of the Senate are set out in Chap ...

committed to holding a national inquiry into the abuse of disabled people in institutions and homes across Australia. From February to July 2015,

KPMG KPMG is a multinational professional services network, based in London, United Kingdom. As one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 275,288 emplo ...

conducted a review of Yooralla, on behalf of the

Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

(DHHS). The report found that Yooralla has systems and processes that are designed to ensure the delivery of quality and safe services for its clients. It was also found that Yooralla had made significant progress, including major enhancements to work practices.

References

External links

www.yooralla.com.au
– Official site {{Authority control Medical and health organisations based in Victoria (state) Disability organisations based in Australia 1918 establishments in Australia Organizations established in 1918 Organisations based in Melbourne