States to co-ordinate strategy against paedophilia in schools

25/3/97

The Education Department of Western Australia will continue to work with other States and Territories to develop and implement a coordinated national strategy in schools to prevent paedophilia and other forms of child abuse.

In State Parliament today, Education Minister Colin Barnett said a meeting of all Education Ministers less than two weeks ago saw a strong and clear commitment from all States to a coordinated strategy against paedophilia in schools.

Mr Barnett also said the Education Department of WA was developing further measures against paedophilia for Western Australian schools.

"The Education Department already has in place a number of policies and procedures against paedophilia," Mr Barnett said.

"These include screening of potential employees, procedures for managing reported incidents involving students, training for principals in identifying and managing possible cases of abuse or neglect and an information package on child abuse and neglect.

"There are also clearly defined links with the Police Service and Family and Children's Services."

Mr Barnett said the Wood Royal Commission in New South Wales had shown the need to implement further strategies.

He said that the Education Department was:

·      putting in place compulsory police checks for all new employees in schools, including both teaching and non-teaching staff and teacher trainees in tertiary institutions;

·      reviewing the files of all current Education Department employees where there have been allegations of sexual impropriety to ensure investigations have reached a satisfactory conclusion; and-

·      working with the Police Service, specifically on Operation Paradox, to exchange information.

The Minister said the Department would also develop:

·     a code of ethics, in consultation with the Volunteers Centre of WA, with regard to volunteers in schools; and-

·     guidelines for schools to use in managing reported incidents of convicted paedophiles or known sex offenders who lived near schools.

Mr Barnett said that these strategies would be implemented in coordination with national procedures.

"Importantly, the national strategy will ensure that all education authorities maintain a system which records details of all allegations and criminal charges of sexual misconduct involving employees. With some amendments to privacy laws, this information will be able to be exchanged between States," Mr Barnett said.

He also said that non-government school authorities in WA had committed to establishing common strategies for screening of employees, coordination of information and effective liaison between sectors.

Media contact: Justine Whittome (09) 222 9699