Catholic Education Blames Procedural Failures for Toowoomba School Sex Abuse

By Fidelis Rego and Belinda Sanders
ABC News
March 13, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-13/catholic-education-blames-procedural-failures-for-toowoomba-sex/5318306

The head of Catholic Education for the Toowoomba diocese on Queensland's Darling Downs says a failure to follow procedure was to blame for sex abuse at a local school.

Last month, the royal commission into child sexual abuse examined the Catholic Church's handling of allegations 13 girls were molested at a Toowoomba school in 2007 and 2008.

Teacher Gerard Vincent Byrnes is serving a 10-year prison term, while the principal and two senior education officials were sacked over the incidents.

Catholic Education director John Borserio has defended its child protection policies.

"We had written procedures, we had good training, but in the end the compliance to that let us down," he said.

"I don't know if it's naivety but that's where we fell down.

"What we've learnt is it's not about the paperwork, it's about the people."