SCHOOLS
— CHILDREN WITH HARMFUL SEXUAL BEHAVIOURS
771. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, I would like to recognise Simone
and Victoria from Accountability for Children in Education and Square Peg Round
Whole.
My question is to the Premier in his capacity representing
the Minister for Education and Training. I refer to questions asked in the
other place about the Department of Education's multiagency protocol
for education options for young people charged with harmful sexual offences.
(1) What protocols are in place to protect
schoolchildren after a student charged with a sexual offence is moved to
their school?
(2) What is the
difference in protocols for a child who is charged with a sexual offence versus
one who is convicted of one?
(3) How many
police notifications does the Western Australia Police Force have for public
school students who have been charged with a sexual offence?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
I thank the Leader of the Liberal
Party. That question is different from the one that was provided to my office.
In any event, I will answer as best I can.
(1)–(3) In
2017, the Departments of Education, Communities and Justice and the Western Australia
Police Force formalised a multiagency approach to manage young people charged
with harmful sexual behaviours. The multiagency protocol for education options
for young people charged with harmful sexual behaviours provides for these
agencies to cooperate and lawfully share information in the best interests of
all students and staff.
Although it is still an offence to
share information with parents or members of the public about a child accused
of sex offences, stronger measures were needed to protect all students and
maintain community confidence that schools are as safe as possible. A protocol
was put in place to manage safety arrangements for all school students in Western Australia when a young person
attending school is charged with harmful sexual behaviours. The protocol
provides the Department of Education with the ability to determine the most appropriate
education placement for students charged with harmful sexual behaviours as
notified by the Western Australia Police Force.
When
a student is charged with a harmful sexual offence, it indicates that there may
be a level of risk in the school environment. Upon notification through
the protocol, the department manages the risk by ensuring that planning is in
place at the school to support students charged, as well as known students
harmed. These plans are called risk assessment and management plans, or RAMPs.
There are currently 60 RAMPs in place for students who are enrolled in public
schools. Education is assessed on an individual basis, as was emphasised in the
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse as being
necessary, and may include a range of different education options.
The Minister for Education and
Training has asked the Department of Education to ensure that the safety of
victims is the paramount consideration in this decision-making process and in
the development of a RAMP. When a student transfers from one school to another,
including between the public system and the non-government sector, relevant
information is shared in the interests of student safety. Regardless of the
outcome of the WA police investigation and/or court outcome, the school manages
the risk associated with the student's actions that led to the charge.