Steven Herald: Former Afford CEO still making money from the NDIS

The former CEO of a series of disability homes where a girl died in a bath is still making money from the NDIS, despite questions being asked. FIND OUT HOW

A CEO who was in charge of a national care home service where a disabled girl drowned in a bath is still making money from the NDIS.

Despite being reported to the industry watchdog nearly a year ago, Steven Herald has rebranded his business from Thrive CareCo to Eloma Care.

Business documents show Mr Herald registered Eloma Care in September 2022 and the associated services have changed names from Thrive CareCo.

A court ruling this month found a raft of failures by the organisation Mr Herald used to run – Australian Foundation for Disability (Afford) – may have contributed to the death of Merna Aprem, 20, who had an epileptic fit in the bath at one of its Sydney homes in 2019.

Former Afford chief executive Steven Herald.

The business was ordered to pay $400,000 to the NDIS Commission for two contraventions of the NDIS Act. No criminal charges were laid against Mr Herald or the leadership team.

Mr Herald, came under heavy scrutiny during the Royal Commission into Disability, where he was described as “narcissistic” by the head of the Commission and accused of being more interested in making money than caring for disabled people.

While in charge at Afford, Mr Herald oversaw the not-for-profit jump from 898 clients with an annual revenue of $51.8 million in 2016-2017 to more than 6000 clients and an annual revenue of $145.6 million in 2020-2021.

The senior leaders working at Afford at the time have all left, with many working for Mr Herald’s new business.

Merna Aprem, drowned in a bath at a care facility run by Afford. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Eloma Care boasts on its website that it is a “registered NDIS provider with over 100 years’ experience amongst our small, but mighty team” providing services in NSW and Queensland.

Records show Mr Herald is the owner of Eloma Care, but it is not clear what his day to day role is. He previously stated that he was CEO and Managing Director at Thrive CareCo on his LinkedIn, which has been deleted.

News Corp alerted the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) to Mr Herald’s new business endeavours last year.

A Commission spokeswoman said it “actively monitors providers, and individuals associated with providers, but is unable to provide further detail due to secrecy provisions under the NDIS Act”.

Ms Aprem’s mother Tanya Petrus said while the court ruling against the company was a win for her daughter, she believes those responsible for the care of clients at Afford at the time should not be working with disabled people.

Tanya Petrus at the graveside memorial at Kemps Creek Cemetery for her daughter Merna Aprem who drowned in the bath at a care facility. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The new CEO of Afford Jo Toohey, who was not involved in the company at the time of Ms Aprem’s death, said she was “astounded” Mr Herald is allowed to continue to operate a disability service.

Ms Toohey said she had written to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission about this in August 2022 and again the following month. She also wrote to Mr Shorten about it in November 2022.

The matter was also raised in Senate Estimates last November 2022 by Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who asked whether in the light of the assessment of Mr Herald by the disability commission’s chairman Ronald Sackville, “does the NDIS Commission consider Mr Herald to be a suitable CEO of an NDIS provider?”

All her questions were taken on notice.