Skip to main content
Home
  • The Legislative Assembly meets on 16/04/2024 (01:00 PM)
    Assembly sit 16/04/2024
  • The Legislative Council meets on 16/04/2024 (01:00 PM)
    Council sit 16/04/2024
  • The Public Administration meets on 08/04/2024 (10:00 AM)
    Committee meet 08/04/2024

Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 931 asked in the Legislative Council on 18 October 2022 by Hon Nick Goiran

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

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 —

          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.

          Family and carers should be involved �

          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.