Beyond the exit: What Centacare’s Brisbane closure reveals about continuity in disability care

As Brisbane Centacare families face change, the sector faces a larger question: how can we ensure stability and trust when providers withdraw?

The announcement that Centacare will be closing its Brisbane disability services has sent shockwaves across the sector. While the news is understandably unsettling for participants, families, and staff, it also shines a light on a challenge facing many disability providers: how to maintain stability and continuity of care in an increasingly complex operating environment.

For people with disabilities, change isn’t just logistical, it’s personal. Support workers often become part of the household rhythm, woven into the fabric of daily life. When those relationships are disrupted, participants can experience immense uncertainty, anxiety, and fear about what comes next.

Families, too, face significant emotional and practical challenges when a provider exits. Continuity of care isn’t a luxury; it’s essential to maintaining progress toward independence, health, and wellbeing. Each disruption risks undoing years of carefully built trust and connection.

Across the sector, there’s a growing recognition that sustainability and stability must go hand-in-hand. Financial viability is essential, but it should never come at the expense of the relationships and consistency that enable people with disabilities to thrive. The question is not “profits versus people,” but how we can design a system that upholds both.

At For Care, we’ve seen firsthand how continuity of support transforms outcomes. When participants are surrounded by consistent, well-supported teams, they experience stronger relationships, greater confidence, and more meaningful engagement in their communities. Continuity is not just operational,  it’s relational, and it’s at the heart of quality support.

As the disability sector continues to evolve, provider exits will sometimes be unavoidable. But the impact of those changes can be softened through collective responsibility and smarter planning. There are practical steps that can make a real difference:

• Policy safeguards: Clearer oversight and transition frameworks to protect participants when large providers withdraw.
• Transparent communication: Open, early dialogue with families and participants to reduce uncertainty.
• Collaborative transitions: Partnerships between outgoing and incoming providers to ensure a smooth handover of care.
• Workforce continuity: Enabling support staff to move with participants where possible, preserving trusted relationships.

Centacare’s closure decision underscores an important truth: behind every organisational change are individuals whose lives shaped by the need for stability, trust, and belonging are profoundly affected.

Continuity, stability, and genuine care should be non-negotiables in disability support. When providers exit, the responsibility falls to all of us, government, organisations, and the broader sector to make sure people with disability aren’t left without the strong teams and safe homes they deserve.

Because in the end, sustainability is not just about keeping services open, it’s about keeping lives connected.  

Author: Jayne Cusack Communication Lead from forcare.