About this Profile
Profile source: An interview on behalf of the NED Foundation.
- Executive Officer
About the Organisation
Hunter Circles is an organisation committed to building freely given, two-way relationships so that people with disability are restored to their rightful place at the heart of community.
Many people with intellectual disability only have relationships with people who are paid to be there. Many people live in closed systems like group homes or institutions, have no friends, no family, no social networks, are routinely denied the opportunity to make and take decisions, to develop relationships beyond those with paid staff, assume valued life roles or contribute to society in any way.
By building an intentional Circle of Support around a person, comprising of friends, neighbours, family, allies and other community members, real connections and communities can be built.
Circles are based on the premise that it is relationships that keep people safe and give life meaning.
Hunter Circles was established in response to the closure of institutions in the Hunter in 2021 when hundreds of people with disability moved into group homes in the community. We understood that for people who have experienced such compounded exclusion, realisation of their human rights and restoration to community will require a much deeper change. Without intentional and proactive community engagement, people will remain isolated and excluded.
Whilst the NSIS has given people the chance to do more things in the community, the NDIS does not buy you love. The best safeguard is to support people to take up their rightful place at the heart of the community. In doing this, we make it more likely that there will be natural informal safeguards in a person's life such as family, neighbours, acquaintances, co-workers, just as there are for other citizens.
In 2008, a longitudinal study conducted in Victoria, 'Known well by no-one', examined the nature of informal relationships among residents five years after leaving an institution. The study revealed that not one person formed a new relationship, the number of people maintaining regular contact with family members decreased, and 62% of all people had no one outside the service system who knew them well or monitored their well-being.
Hunter Circles was established as we know that unless there is intentional support for people to build relationships with community, people with disability will remain shut out, isolated, lonely and highly vulnerable to abuse, harm and neglect.
Hunter Circles an innovative approach that supports people with disability to build community connections and friendships.
At the core of this approach is the concept of a 'Circle of Support', which is made up of the person and allies from the local community.
The underlying belief is that everyone needs community, everyone needs to be heard, and everyone has both gifts and needs. Circles are based on reciprocity and the fundamental value of inclusion that 'all means all; there is nobody whose contribution we don't need to make our communities whole, diverse and strong. By supporting people to build freely given relationships and community connections, one person at a time, we aim to address the loneliness, isolation, exclusion and disadvantage experienced by many people with a disability.
Hunter Circles is led by a diverse board of people with lived experience of disability and family members. We are supported by practitioners with many years of experience in working alongside people with disability, community development and advocacy. We take a restorative approach to our work, restoring relationships between people with disability and community.
- Charity
- Community Development/Education
- Consultancy
- Facilitation
- Human rights
- Restorative Circles
- Rights of people with disability
- Rights of those experiencing mental ill health
- Training