Royal Commission

Over last week and the next fortnight the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is conducting a final review hearing into Catholic Church Authorities in Australia. The hearing is inquiring into a range of matters including:

Current policies and procedures in relation to child protection including responding to allegations of child sexual abuse;
Factors that may have contributed to the occurrence of child sexual abuse at Catholic Church Institutions;
Factors that may have affected the institutional response of Catholic Church Authorities
Responses to relevant case study reports and other Royal Commission reports; and,
Data relating to the extent of claims of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church of Australia.

We all are shocked and saddened by the appalling extent and the nature of the abuse that has been revealed through these hearings. The effects of this abuse are traumatic for both survivors and their families.

The Royal Commission has highlighted the fact that children’s safety is the whole community’s responsibility. As a school we have been working to develop and implement a range of strategies to best equip our students, staff and community to keep the safety of children as an absolute priority.

All staff are expected to be familiar with and act in accordance with the St Bede’s College Child Protection and Safety Policy and Child Safely Code of Conduct. All staff complete training in policies and procedures relating to child safety and including the Protecting Children - Mandatory Reporting and other obligations eLearning module that has been developed to assist schools to comply with Ministerial Order No. 870 – Child Safe Standards.

Many of you may feel unsettled or distressed by the hearings. We have support services available for students, which can be accessed through our Wellbeing Centre. The Royal Commission also provides information and assistance; more information can be found at

https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/support-services/victoria

Let us continue to hold the victims and their families in our prayers.