Form 'Error' Made, Child Sex Inquiry Hears

By Annette Blackwell
Herald Sun
September 18, 2013

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/commission-hears-of-child-check-failures/story-fni0xqi4-1226721975066

IT should have raised suspicions at the NSW Department of Community Services when one name appeared three times on forms checking someone's suitability to work with children.

Steve 'Skip' Larkins was listed as subject, applicant and contact, effectively approving himself to work with children from his position as principal officer of the Hunter Aboriginal Children Services (HACS).

But Larkins is now serving time for child pornography and indecent assault of children, and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was told on Wednesday that no one who came into contact with his forms checked their veracity with anyone else at HACS.

Maree Walk, chief executive of community services for NSW Department of Family and Community Services, said she believes "it was an error" not to look more closely at the man who had legal parental responsibility for a number of Aboriginal children from 2003.

"In hindsight, even looking at the form, when you see the name of the person, name of the applicant and the name of the contact - and all three are the same name," Ms Walk said.

"It was clearly an error to only rely on one contact in an agency."

Ms Walk said that DOCS had received a report about Larkins' inappropriate behaviour from Newcastle in 1997 and reported it to police.

"Essentially our task in terms of the safety of that child was seen to be done," Ms Walk said.

The commission heard DOCS gave Larkins a medium-risk assessment but that it was sent to him. He appealed and it was overturned by the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP).

It has since emerged that Larkins forged documents including a statutory declaration.

The commission also heard from Children's Guardian Kerryn Boland that, despite concerns, there was no legal impediment to Larkins being given direct parental care of a boy who went to live with him.

Both Ms Boland and Ms Walk told the commission that the checks system now in place would raise a flag on someone like Larkins.

The case officer for the boy for whom Larkins had direct responsibility told the commission that he had seen text messages between the boy and Larkins, and raised concerns with his own supervisors about Larkins' over-involvement.

Larkins' checks went through human relations but chair of the HACS management committee Karen Elphick said on Wednesday she could only remember one discussion about them.

"That might have been after Mr Larkins was arrested," she said.

Ms Elphick said Larkins once asked for an extraordinary meeting of the HACS committee off-site because "he did not want the staff to know he was fostering a child."

She said she thought it strange but did not talk to staff, although committee members did tell Larkins he should not do it because he was CEO.

He told them he had spoken to the department at the time and that it was a done deal.

"I just assumed he know what he was talking about," Ms Elphick said.

The hearings continue on Thursday.