Commissioner for Victims' Rights Michael O'Connell Wants Stringent Checks on People Who Work with Children

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
October 29, 2013

http://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/commissioner-for-victims-rights-michael-oconnell-wants-stringent-checks-on-people-who-work-with-children/story-fnii5yv4-1226750040242

CONTROVERSIAL: More stringent checks on people who work with children has been urged. Picture:

MEASURES: Victims of Crime Commissioner Michael O'Connell. Source: News Limited

CHECKS on people who work with children should extend to door-knocking their neighbours if necessary, Commissioner for Victims' Rights Michael O'Connell says.

In a submission to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, he also warns that to avoid having a "checklist of empty promises", any requirements that come out of the commission must be properly implemented.

"For example, if a child-care centre is required to have two people present when changing a child's clothes/nappy the centre must be adequately resourced to ensure they have sufficient staff to meet this requirement," he writes.

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Asked whether he thought there should be two people present for nappy changes, he said there were situations with adults where the law required a third person to be present - such as a police investigation of a sexual crime.

"It seems to me we owe no lesser obligation to young, vulnerable children," he said.

His submission to the latest Issues Paper from the commission, which focuses on creating "child safe institutions", was published yesterday.

In it, Mr O'Connell emphasises the need for national Working With Children Checks and the importance of carefully recruiting and screening staff and volunteers. It also warns that predators seek out opportunities for abuse.

"(Checks) must be comprehensive and multi-faceted, incorporating education checks, workplace checks and if necessary door-to-door knocking of people's neighbourhoods so that we can check on their involvement with local community," he writes.

"If that means we have to intrude on some of the other rights, such as the presumption of innocence, then I feel that's an obligation that we owe to children and other vulnerable people, so long as there's an appeal process so that those people who are wrongly accused have the opportunity to challenge those accusations."

He also says mandatory reporting and the need to create safe places for children should be extended to vulnerable adults, such as people with cognitive disabilities.

The commission's chief executive officer Janette Dines said they had received submissions from around Australia and a range of organisations.

"Identifying what makes an institution safe for children is a key objective of this royal commission," she said.

"A recurring theme in the submissions is the need for nation-wide accountability, monitoring and oversight of organisations with a responsibility for children."

Time for submissions to the fourth issues paper, on preventing the sexual abuse of children in out-of-home care, closes on November 8.