Former employees outline alleged misconduct at New Chapters, New Beginnings
Former New Chapters, New Beginnings employees have shared their experience working for the Top End NDIS provider. Read some of the shocking emails the ex-managing director sent.
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Former employees of a major Top End disability service provider have called into question the integrity of the regulator for its failure to act after multiple official complaints against a controversial former director.
New Chapters, New Beginnings ex-managing director Andrea Cooper was restricted from offering disability services for 30 days by a National Disability Insurance Scheme banning order.
According to the NDIS provider register, Ms Cooper was banned due to the “immediate danger to the health, safety or wellbeing of a person with disability”.
The organisation’s former executive business manager Kahla Ryan said multiple complaints had been made to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission regarding Ms Cooper’s behaviour since 2020.
Ms Ryan said the complaints from New Chapters, New Beginnings employees to NT WorkSafe included allegations that she restricted her participants activities and engaged in workplace bullying and harassment.
“The bullying, victimisation, and harassment was horrendous, however the care of the participants is what really matters and why she needs to be stopped,” Ms Ryan said.
“The NDIA and NT WorkSafe have a lot to answer for.”
Ms Ryan said she reported Ms Cooper’s conduct to the NDIS Commission on April 28, 2022.
“This director and this company needs to be stopped,” she wrote in a submission seen by this publication.
In it she alleged “corruption and neglect” by NCNB was putting vulnerable people at risk, and that multiple reports to authorities had been “shamefully dismissed”.
Ms Ryan alleged Ms Cooper understaffed independent living houses by assigning only one worker to the two-staff participants.
She also alleged NDIS participants were forced to take part in unsuitable programs at the organisation’s day centre, which were not suitably designed to help them develop their life skills.
Ms Ryan alleged Ms Cooper underreported to the NDIS weekly and employed company cleaners to clean her private property.
Ms Ryan made a similar report to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability on April 25, but was referred to the NDIA and police.
New Chapters, New Beginnings former HR administrator Lauren Parker also submitted a report to the NDIS Commission on December 16, 2020.
In a submission seen by this publication, Ms Parker alleged the organisation engaged in restrictive practices even after an NDIS Commission investigation.
Ms Cooper received a 30 day ban from providing NDIS services on December 13, 2022, after a history of formal reports against her dating back to 2020.
An NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission spokeswoman said all complaints were taken seriously, and anyone should speak up if they had concerns with the conduct of any provider.
“We take compliance and enforcement action in response to issues of noncompliance, and choose compliance and enforcement provisions that are appropriate and proportionate, on a case-by-case basis,” she said.
“This includes issuing compliance and infringement notices, seeking civil penalties, revoking and/or suspending the registration of NDIS providers and making banning orders.”
She said the Commission would assess whether Ms Cooper had complied with her banning order, which ends on January 15.
The spokeswoman said an individual who breached their banning order could be hit with a
civil penalty exceeding $225,000.
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