Royal Commission into Child Abuse Calls for More Staff

By Sarah Farnsworth
The ABC News
November 12, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-12/royal-commission-into-child-abuse-calls-for-more/5086182?section=vic

[with audio]

The Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse has had an overwhelming response, prompting the chairman to call for an additional 100 staff members to handle a growing work load. In the first seven months, the commission has recieved more than 6,000 phone calls and nearly 3,500 written inquiries. Justice Peter McClellan says he believes many more private sessions with abuse victims will be held as the commissioners continue to gather evidence.

ELEANOR HALL: The chair of the National Royal Commission into child sexual abuse has appealed for more staff to deal with the enormous challenge of taking evidence from abuse victims.

Justice Peter McClellan told a conference in Melbourne that the commission has been inundated with people wanting to tell their stories.

He says he now realises that if the commission is to properly bear witness to child abuse across Australia, he needs more staff.

In Melbourne, Sarah Farnsworth reports.

SARAH FARNSWORTH: When the Royal Commission into the Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was set up, the laws were changed to allow people to tell their stories in private sessions.

In a rare speech, the chair of the commission, Justice Peter McClellan, says those sessions have given a clear picture of the harrowing and traumatic experiences suffered by many.

PETER MCCLELLAN: It is not uncommon for men of my own age to break down and weep when describing the trauma of their childhood. For some it is the first time they have been able to tell anyone of their personal story.

It is common for them to report not only a sexual abuse, but extraordinary levels of physical abuse and psychological trauma.

SARAH FARNSWORTH: In one session he heard from the parents of a boy known only as Robert, a promising and talented student who suffered abuse at the hands of his teacher at a prestigious Catholic school.

PETER MCCLELLAN: The consequences for Robert have been profound. Notwithstanding all of his natural abilities, Robert's life spiralled out of control. He became an alcoholic and an abuser of analgesics, with a confused sexual identity; he was unable to establish any stable or long term relationships. He has been unable to work. He now has no friends and wants little contact with his family.

His mother describes the experience as a living bereavement. The suffering for all involved is beyond adequate description,

SARAH FARNSWORTH: After seven months of work, the commission has received more than 6,300 phone calls; nearly 3,000 written or emailed enquires and 627 personal stories.

PETER MCCLELLAN: By the end of last week we have conducted 742 private sessions. From the enquiries we have received, we have another 524 people now waiting in, to be allocated a private session. There are a further 1,300 people who have called or written to the Royal Commission, of whom we anticipate 50 per cent will need to attend a private session.

We continue to receive phone calls at a rate which generates about 10 private sessions each day.

SARAH FARNSWORTH: Judge McClellan says the work load is mounting and more staff are required.

PETER MCCLELLAN: The commission now has 160 staff. This was initially believed to be sufficient, however as we have refined our processes and come to a better understanding of the issues involved, I believe that in order to carry out our work within a reasonable time frame, the commission's staff needs to grow by up to another 100 people.

SARAH FARNSWORTH: So far, the commission has held public hearings into the Scouts, an organisation responsible for the care of foster children in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, and the YMCA.

Hearings on a Grafton children's home linked to the Anglican Church, and the Catholic Church's handling of abuse, will be held before the end of the year.

Evidence is being gathered from remote Aboriginal communities and strategies are being developed to allow the mentally ill and those in custody to tell their stories.

PETER MCCLELLAN: It is plain that many in the community do not understand the potential for abuse to occur. The frequency with which it occurs and the consequences for the victims and their families. It is the task of the Royal Commission to provide that understanding and with the assistance of those with knowledge in the various fields, to provide findings and recommendations which will make our institutions safe for our children.

SARAH FARNSWORTH: The commission is due to hand down an interim report mid next year.

ELEANOR HALL: And that's Sarah Farnsworth in Melbourne.