How the DSS Bill puts disabled people at risk of abuse

As a young disabled woman living at home, June* says the family she expected care from abused her and controlled much of her life.

While her mother carried out most of her day-to-day caregiving, June says her mother —and at times, her stepfather — verbally and physically abused her. June’s family members controlled her access to money, including restricting access to her banking app, leaving her financially dependant and isolated.

“You can’t always rely on the family,” she says.

June says her family couldn’t provide the level of care she required to meet her needs and were “very closed-minded regarding care options”. The support she needed often conflicted with what her family provided. “What I wanted didn’t match what the family wanted for me,” she says.

This is one of the main reasons June is opposed to the Disability Support Services Bill.

The Bill states that “families and whānau have responsibility in the first instance for the well-being of their members”. It describes government-paid support work as “a contribution to care”, rather than a necessity.

Disabled people would be expected to rely on support from their family members and community before they could access Disability Support Services funded care. The definition of “family member” is broad, covering parents, siblings, partners and even cousins and half-siblings.

Research shows that having a disability increases a person’s risk of experiencing violence. For disabled women in particular, it was family members — such as parents and relatives — that were the main people responsible for non-partner physical violence.

Some of us in the disability community are concerned the Bill’s particular reframing of family responsibility could put an undue burden on disabled people and their families, as well as allowing the Government to shirk their responsibilities to us. And like June, some disabled people don’t have safe and caring family homes to begin with. This bill would put those people at greater risk of harm or violence.

For June, relying on family members meant daily physical, verbal and financial abuse.

“I left home because it wasn’t safe for me,” she says.

But moving out of her abusive family home was challenging. It didn’t happen until she went to study at a tertiary institute where there was a support worker who helped her with moving out of home. She was also supported by a Needs Assessment Service Co-ordinator and another support work agency with this process.

She managed to escape home in May 2025 and stayed at a hotel for two nights. Then she moved into temporary housing, and is now living in an accessible flat with four other disabled people.

During the abuse, June contacted the police for help, but she says they ignored her and didn’t respond in a way that was accessible to her. “I felt like they failed me,” she says.

Since then, June says her mum has been arrested and charged with abusing her. June has also received an apology from police for being let down.

Hope for the future

June’s life looks very different from one year ago. During the week, she enjoys her flat activities, having her own space to study, visiting friends, and being able to come and go on her own terms. She says she’s enjoying her “new flat family”. The flatmates take turns to arrange cooking and chores, and use a calendar to share the responsibilities.

She says her wellbeing has significantly improved since moving out of home, and she finally has access to her own finances. “It feels like a big step, my confidence is back.”

She also has the choice regarding her caregiving situation. “I now have a support person I can trust,” she says.

“I am hoping in the future to live independently and for my journey to carry on. I am studying now… I love it.”

June says she is strongly against the Disability Support Services Bill because if it was to pass, disabled people could be forced to live in abusive situations. “I had to get out to be safe.”

Submissions for the Disability Support Services Bill are open now and close at 1pm on Friday, 12 June 2026.

*Name has been changed to protect her identity.