Acquired Brain Injury Services is a not for profit specialist support service for people living with an acquired brain injury (ABI). We have been providing expert support to people with ABI since 1986. Our aim is to support people with an acquired brain injury to live the life they choose. 

We currently support around 220 people living with ABI and have a team of around 250 staff across the Sydney Metro, Central Coast and Bathurst and Central West areas of NSW. We think we have the mix right – we have the experience and we’re big enough to make sure we’ll be around for a long time to come, but not too big that people are treated like a number. 

HOW IT STARTED 

We started out as a small organisation in the Sydney inner west suburb of Wareemba in 1986.  

There was an unmet need for people who were living with acquired brain injury to live independently in the community. People at that time were either living in hospital, nursing homes or other institutional care. 

An initiative was developed by Office of Protective Commissioner, Royal Ryde Rehabilitation and Lidcombe Brain Injury Unit where a property in the community was purchased for 4 people with acquired brain injury to reside in with 24 hour support. 

There was some building the plane while flying, and some things worked well and there were some challenges.

So that people could be supported more independently, the model of care changed to supporting people in their own independent homes and in 1994 WCL was supporting 12 clients in this way. 

In 2010 we changed our name from WCL to ABI Services – what we are called today. 

We now support around 220 people living with acquired brain injury to live independently in the community across the Sydney Metropolitan area, Central Coast and Central West of NSW. 

We are committed to being champions for people with ABI to live the life they choose. ABI Services is also committed to learning continuous improvement to ensure we provide the best possible support and outcomes for people with ABI well into the future.