Two young children were allegedly hurt in Canberra last week, and their family is now living through something no family should have to endure.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

Login or signup to continue reading

More stories like this are coming to light, and the pain and worry in our community is real.

These stories are in the headlines, and they matter. But part of the assumptions being made behind the story is about how the mental health system has failed.

When something like this happens, it is natural to want answers. We want to know why. Finding one reason can help us make sense of something that feels impossible to understand.

But if we only look for one cause, we miss the bigger picture. We miss the years of choices and changes that have led us here.

Those who work in mental health, disability and community services in the ACT are doing genuinely hard work with very limited resources.

And they are trying to hold together a system that's been underfunded for years. When that system breaks down, it's rarely one person's fault.

The reality is that it's the result of choices made in budgets and policy settings, made long before things reach crisis point.

There are important conversations about the people involved and how the police and others responded. Those discussions matter. But we cannot let them cover up the deeper problem. This is a problem that has been growing for years and will not be fixed by an apology or a quick review.

Thousands of people in the ACT with a psychosocial disability are not getting the support they need to stay well.

Recent reports indicate that 8940 people in the ACT require support they are not receiving. These are not just numbers. Each person is someone's family member, friend or neighbour, trying to get through each day without the help they deserve.

Much of this is not due to a mental health system that is failing, but instead comes down to gaps in the NDIS. Plans change without warning and eligibility shifts without........

© Canberra Times