VACRO welcomes new Specialist Disability Practitioner and Educator VACRO is thrilled to announce the appointment of Georgia Morsley as our new Specialist Disability Practitioner and Educator. Georgia is a qualified occupational therapist who joins VACRO from Ravenhall Prison, where she worked directly with people in prison with disabilities. Georgia previously worked in a similar role with people on post-sentence and community-based orders with the Australian Community Support Organisation (ACSO), and said she was excited to return to a community organisation with her role at VACRO. “A lot of NDIS services aren’t sure how to work with people who are transitioning in and out of prison,” she said. “Moving back into community work, I can build ways to reach back into the prisons through the NDIS, and have the best chance to create positive change.” Key points: Georgia Morsley has started as VACRO’s Specialist Disability Practitioner and Educator This role was created in mid-2020 to strengthen the skills of our staff who work directly with participants with disabilities That work leads to stronger, more specialised support and better outcomes for participant with disabilities Approximately 30 per cent of people in prison in Australia have a long-term health condition or disability that limits their daily activities, education, or employment. But under-reporting of these cases – due to limitations on prison data and the prohibitive cost of getting a diagnosis – mean many of the people most in need of support miss out. VACRO’s Specialist Disability Practitioner and Educator role was created in response to an increase in referrals for post-release support for participants with disabilities. VACRO CEO Marius Smith said Georgia’s work would enable our case managers to better identify behaviours or attitudes that may indicate undiagnosed cognitive impairments, and connect participants to the support they need. “In the 12 months we’ve has this specialised role, we’ve seen VACRO staff build new skills in completing NDIS access applications with participants, and implementing strategies to better support participants with cognitive impairments and other disabilities,” he said. “They become an even better source of support to the participant, and we see that support enable participants to create real changes.” More information VACRO media contact – Sophie Raynor, 0476 666 070 or [email protected] More information about VACRO’s post-release support Learn more about Georgia Manage Cookie Preferences