SCHOOLS —
CHILDREN WITH HARMFUL SEXUAL BEHAVIOURS
931. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to the minister's
answer to my question without notice on 13 October 2022, which revealed that,
as at the start of term 4, one alleged or convicted offender continues to be at
the same school as their victim.
(1) Does the
minister recall informing the house on 9 August 2022 that this was also the
case for this victim as at the start of term 3?
(2) Does the
minister recall informing the house on 10 May 2022 that this was also the case
for this victim as at the start of term 2?
(3) For how many terms has this
victim now been at the same school as their alleged convicted offender?
(4) Will the
minister undertake to obtain a briefing about this case so that she can verify
whether the protocol is either operating as intended or in need of improvement?
Hon
SAMANTHA ROWE replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question and provide the following answer on behalf of the
Minister for Education and Training.
(1) Yes.
(2) Yes.
(3) Eight school terms.
(4) Students
remaining at the same school does not suggest that the protocol is ineffective.
Volume 10 of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual
Abuse, headed ''Children with harmful sexual behaviours'',
emphasised the need for an individualised, therapeutic and multiagency response
when children are alleged to have exhibited harmful sexual behaviours. It
states —
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A contextual and systemic approach should be used. For
interventions to be effective they should take account of a child's
whole environment and include family, neighbourhood and community supports.
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Family and carers should be involved �
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Safety should be established. An overarching safety plan must be
agreed on between services, home and school that provides safe and appropriate
ways of managing the child's behaviour.
The government accepted the royal
commission recommendations in full and developed the multi-agency protocol for
education options for young people charged with harmful sexual behaviours to
enable the relevant government departments to cooperate and lawfully share
information to manage cases in which young people are charged with harmful
sexual behaviours. In accordance with the royal commission recommendations, the
protocol provides for schools to put in place a risk assessment and management
plan for any student charged with, or convicted of, a sexual offence, as well
as individualised safety plans for victims of alleged offences.