The Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has opened with a preliminary hearing in Adelaide this morning.
The Australian National Redress Scheme and the Roman Catholic Church
Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found in the six decades since 1950 seven percent of Australia’s Catholic priests were accused of abusing children and up to 15 percent of priests in some dioceses were alleged perpetrators. Continue reading
Code of Practice for Out of School settings
On 2 December, 2018 the Department for Education (DfE) launched an open consultation the aim of which is to write a draft code of practice on safeguarding in out-of-school settings with accompanying guidance for parents.
Sexual relations between coaches and under 18s
Although the age of consent in the UK is 16, it remains illegal for teachers and care workers, being in a position of trust, to have sexual relations with 16 and 17 year-olds in their care, even if the relationship is consensual. This does not however apply to other purported positions of trust, to include sports coaches. Continue reading
Scottish update
This week, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) has announced that on 21 and 23 January 2019 it will hear evidence, via video link from Australia, of witnesses whose evidence is relevant to the child migrant case study. Prior to migration, the witnesses were children in care in residential care establishments run by religious organisations.
Football latest
The Offside Trust, the organisation set up in the wake of the football abuse scandal, which aims to work alongside football clubs to enhance safeguarding, has this week claimed that at least 80 sports coaches have been convicted of child sexual abuse in the past two years.
Six year old girl awarded damages from local authority after sexual abuse by boys at school
Following agreement at a roundtable meeting, the High Court yesterday approved a five figure settlement in a case involving a local authority defendant where a six year old girl disclosed she had been repeatedly sexually abused by two boys at school in 2015. The local authority agreed the settlement without admission of liability.
