"Premier Jay Weatherill to order Royal Commission into child abuse following horrific new case at government-run care facility"
- Details
- Category: Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse Allegations
- Created: Tuesday, 22 July 2014 15:59
- Written by Lauren Novak & Sheradyn Holderhead - The Advertiser SA
Mr Weatherill described the latest case of alleged abuse as “unspeakable acts of evil committed against little children”.
He warned the public to prepare “to learn of horrific details as these matters progress through the courts”.
“I don’t think it could be more disgusting and so thinking about it is difficult,” he said.
“As a father and leader of the state I’m horrified, I’m sickened, I’m angry but most of all I’m determined to see that justice is done for these little children.”
Mr Weatherill said every child protection policy and protocol would be up for review following the revelations.
“Nothing can be assumed about the way in which we care for little children,” he said.
“We need to potentially consider some quite radical ideas.”
Child Development Minister Jennifer Rankine and Premier Jay Weatherill foreshadow a new Royal Commission following revelations of more horrific cases of child sexual abuse involving Families SA.
It will be the third major inquiry into child abuse in SA in the past decade — the three-year Mullighan inquiry was established in 2004 to examine the abuse of children in state care, while the Debelle inquiry in 2012-13 examined the mishandling of a sex abuse case at a western suburbs school.
Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said he supported opening a Royal Commission and would “do everything we can ... to make sure that we establish that commission as soon as possible”.
Mr Marshall said he and Opposition child protection spokeswoman Rachel Sanderson would receive a briefing on the case from government officials this afternoon but would not at that stage be making any suggestions for reforms.
“Today is just quite simply not a day for political point-scoring,” he said.
Mr Marshall described today’s revelations would make “anybody thinking about this feel sick to the stomach”.
Any Royal Commission is unlikely to get underway until criminal proceedings are finalised against the accused.
However, an internal review of Families SA practices can begin straight away.
Mr Weatherill would not elaborate on what “radical” changes might be made to child protection policy but he did say the idea of not allowing men to take up such care roles had been raised with him.
Neither Mr Weatherill nor Child Development Minister Jennifer Rankine would say whether protocols would immediately be introduced to ensure that no Families SA staff member was left alone with children in care.
Ms Rankine said random checks were already conducted in care facilities where children were being cared for by a single worker.
She said the alleged offender had undergone a police and child protection background check and psychological testing similar to that done with police officers.
Ms Rankine said the alleged offences “take evil to a new level” and it would be “gut-wrenching” for police working on the case.
She gave a guarantee that all victims would receive immediate counselling, paid for by the Government.
Mr Weatherill would not say whether the children were all being cared for in the same home or what type of home or homes they were living in.
He also would not say whether the children remained under the same model of care.
The Families SA carer’s arrest is the latest abuse scandal to rock the department charged with caring for the state’s most vulnerable children.
The department’s “primary area of concern”, according to its website, is the protection of children and “keeping them safe”.
It says Families SA works to protect children from abuse and harm, supporting families to reduce risk to children and to provide alternative care for children and young people when home is no longer an option.
Families SA is part of the Education Department, which was at the centre of the Debelle inquiry after parents at a western suburbs school were not informed of the rape of a child by an out-of-school-hours-care worker at that school.
Earlier this year, The Advertiser reported that there are dozens of ongoing investigations into Education and Families SA staff — including teachers, support staff and bureaucrats — some accused of offences including murder, rape, stalking and accessing child pornography.
In just the first six months of last year, nine public school workers were charged with child related sexual or pornography offences.
Those cases included:
A 25-YEAR-OLD student services officer, who was arrested in May and charged with making a child amenable to sexual activity and possessing child pornography.
A 37-YEAR-OLD male youth worker, who was arrested in January 15 charged with seven counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and two counts of indecent assault involving a 16-year-old student.
Other cases in which Families SA has failed neglected children have included the death of 10-year-old Jarrad Delroy Roberts in 2006 from an ear infection, and the so-called House of Horrors case, in which multiple children were neglected.
UniSA child protection expert Elspeth McInnes said that because the children were in the care of the Government “there is huge culpability and responsibility” on Families SA and the Minister responsible.
“It certainly indicates that people are on staff who should never be allowed near children,” she said.
“The question is how and where to draw the line around that (background) check and having checks and balances and supervision in place.”
Dr McInnes said technological advances and the storage of pornographic material on computers meant police could now find “the smoking gun evidence you need to say this person committed a crime”.
“If you’re a child under seven and no one else has seen what’s happened to you, you won’t be believed in any kind of criminal justice system (without evidence),” she said.
Child protection expert Freda Briggs has said: “Predators target vulnerable children and while child pornography remains a multi-billion dollar business, predators will create it.”
Earlier this year, the Guardian for Children and Young People told The Advertiser children in state care were at greater risk of abuse or running away because the State Government was yet to fulfil its promise to close decades-old facilities, such as the one the man charged today was working at.
In late 2011, the Government promised to close six large residential care facilities, built in the 1980s, which each house up to 12 wards of the state, cared for by paid staff.
Guardian Pam Simmons says the old buildings are deteriorating and warned that housing so many complex-needs children in one place puts them at higher risk of sexual abuse.
Instead, Ms Simmons wants the children moved to smaller houses or purpose-built units to live, with no more than three other young people.
Across SA, there are 62 properties housing wards of the state, operated by Families SA or non-government organisations. Most are two or three-bedroom houses.
Since late last year, the Government has hired 121 of a promised 360 full-time staff to replace casual carers and provide more consistent care.
At July last year, there were 2657 children in state care (government-owned housing, foster care or with relatives), including 268 in residential care.
Australian Centre for Child Protection deputy director Leah Bromfield said that the Government must now ensure that the impacts on the children, their families and others working with them and on the case were addressed.
“The first priority, of course, being supporting the recovery of these children and providing them an environment in which they can heal,” she said.
“Our thoughts are with the children and their families. Our thoughts also go out to the police investigating these matters, and those within Families SA who work proactively to protect children.
“The described crimes are absolutely abhorrent. That this person is alleged to have perpetrated these crimes against some our most vulnerable children is devastating.”
She said that because the charges arose out of a police investigation into child pornography it emphasised the importance of proactive policing in investigating crimes against children and bringing their perpetrators to justice.
“More critically, that this came about as a result of a child pornography investigation, highlights the persistent concern that children who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation do not feel able to come forward, and that their plight and attempts to tell are so often not noticed or not heard,” she said.
“Sexual abuse of any child is horrific. Children in residential care are highly vulnerable — their history and current circumstances make them more likely to be susceptible to the grooming of sexual predators and less likely to tell. It makes the betrayal by someone who is meant to be protecting them even more heinous.”
Anyone who believes they may have information relating to this investigation is urged call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The Department of Education and Child Development has established a hotline for anyone concerned about this case. It can be reached on 1800 659 572.
Originally published as Premier to order Royal Commission into child abuse
