Final sitting of the Royal Commission announced

The Royal Commission in to Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has todayannounced that the final sitting of the Commission will occur on December 14. The sitting will provide an opportunity for the Commissioners to provide their thanks to the community for the support provided to the Royal Commission.

The Royal Commission commenced their work in 2013 and over the five years, the Royal Commission has:

-          Held 57 public hearings

-          Sat for 444

-          Heard evidence from more than 1,300 witnesses, and

-          Listened to personal accounts of almost 8,000 survivors of child sexual abuse during ‘private sessions’

Mr Reed was quoted as saying, “When we began in 2013, we had no idea just how widespread of prevalent child sexual abuse in institutions was in Australia.”

The Royal Commission has contributed to the community’s understanding and awareness of institutional child sexual abuse through this work and particularly through the comprehensive policy and research program.

“We couldn’t have achieved what we have so far without the input and support of so many,” Mr Reed said.

With the Royal Commission coming to an end, it is important to highlight that their work is not finished.

In order to protect children from abuse and neglect in institutional settings, organisations need to take the lessons provided by the Royal Commission and incorporate them in to how their organisation operates. A rare opportunity has been provided by the Royal Commission which organisations must capitalise on. Without dedicated effort, these atrocities will occur in the future. At Poynting Consulting & Advisory, we’ve followed the Royal Commission closely and everything we do is underpinned by the most up to date research and we always advocate best practice. We can help you and your organisation ensure that you are working proactively and preventatively to create child safe and child friendly environments. Use the ‘contact us’ page to start a discussion on how we can support you to do the work you already do.