South Australian government worker charged with sexually abusing preschool children in residential facility
A FAMILIES SA worker accused of sexually abusing at least seven children previously worked for a non-government organisation contracted to provide staff in state-run care homes.
A FAMILIES SA worker accused of sexually abusing at least seven children previously worked for a non-government organisation contracted to provide staff in state-run care homes.
Education Minister Jennifer Rankine confirmed the man, arrested and charged last month, had worked with organisations outside government but would not say how many.
Education and Child Development Department deputy chief executive David Waterford said the man worked with a non-government organisation, which supplied contract staff to work in department-owned facilities.
He also worked in out-of-school-hours care and vacation care at an Adelaide school.
The man is alleged to have committed “horrific” sexual abuse against at least seven preschool-aged children in his care at a Families SA care home in 2011 and 2012.
He passed police, child protection and psychological testing prior to employment.
The accused man has been suspended from his Families SA role without pay and is officially “absent without leave”.
Government officials say the case will prompt a complete rethink of child-protection policies.
A taskforce has been established — including Families SA, health and police officials — and is meeting daily to consider the case and its wider implications.
Families SA will conduct an internal investigation of its policies and Ms Rankine said the case would also be referred to the Child Death and Serious Injury Review Committee.
The Public Service Association — which represents social workers employed by Families SA — has raised suggestions for reform of child protection policies including not allowing staff to supervise children alone and possibly installing CCTV surveillance in care homes.
Ms Rankine said there were not enough staff currently employed to double supervision of the about 300 children in residential care on any given day.
She said the government would consider if resources would be available to do that in future, but it would be a complex undertaking.
She said CCTV technology would make it difficult to create a “homelike” environment in state care facilities.
Less than 30 calls have been made to a hotline established for the abuse case, but she is expecting more.
Despite Premier Jay Weatherill’s statement that SA’s child-protection system would likely require radical changes, she said it would be a “very big call” to preclude male carers.
“My great horror is that we’re going to find more (victims),” Ms Rankine said. “I won’t ever lose the memory of being told about this case.”
Letters will go out today to parents at the southern suburbs school where the man also worked, informing them of the charges.
Two counsellors and two social workers have been sent to the school for support.
The man has been charged with numerous child sex offences in a case described by police as one of the worst ever seen in South Australia.
Arriving at the school this morning some parents were already aware of the man’s involvement with the school through discussions on social media.
An official letter drafted by the Department of Education will arrive in letterboxes this afternoon formally advising parents.
Investigations into the man’s activities will continue with a police spokesman saying “the investigation will go where the evidence leads us”.
The employee has been charged with sexually abusing at least seven preschool children at a government-run residential care facility.
The southern suburbs man has been charged with offences including seven counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, and the aggravated production, possession and dissemination of child exploitation material.
On June 6, police received information that the man was involved in the distribution of child pornography and officers searched his home on June 9.
Police arrested the man on June 10 and he appeared in court, where he was remanded in custody.
It is alleged the man was employed at an out of school hours care service and a residential care facility, where the offending is alleged to have taken place.
Premier Jay Weatherill has ordered a Royal Commission into the “unspeakable acts of evil”.
Detectives from Special Crime Investigation Branch have seized more than 100,000 still images and 600 video files from the man’s home.
Families SA has assisted police in so far ascertaining the identity of seven alleged victims, who were identified on July 16.
Police briefed Premier Jay Weatherill, Education and Child Protection Minister Jennifer Rankine and Police Minister Tony Piccolo last Thursday.
Assistant Commissioner Paul Dickson said it had been a horrific and painstaking process using the images and videos to identify the victims, and that it was likely there were more victims.
“This particular case, I’ll be quite honest in saying, it’s the most horrific I’ve seen or had anything to do with,” he said.
“It’s a terrible crime. This whole investigation is shocking. There is nothing about it that isn’t horrific for the victims, there’s nothing about it that’s not horrific for the parents and my people who have got the terrible job of viewing hundreds of thousands of images of child exploitation.
“As a police officer and as a father I am abhorred by these crimes.”
Mr Dickson said investigators had so far only been through about half of the seized material.
“It is likely that there may be more than seven (victims) but what we have to do is go through the process, have a look and identify if there are more,” he said.
“The community does need to be prepared that there could be more than seven victims.
“Due to the complexity and enormity of the data yet to be analysed this investigation may take many months to complete.”
The offending is alleged to have occurred in an 18-month period between mid-2011 and the end of 2012.
Mr Dickson would not elaborate on the location of the offending but did say at least some of it had occurred in the residential care facility.
He said investigations were continuing regarding any other offenders.
“At this point we have not identified any other offenders, but we will not know if the alleged offender was acting alone or with others until the investigation is complete,” Mr Dickson said.
Department of Education and Child Development deputy chief executive David Waterford said the alleged victims would receive full support from Families SA and Child Protection Services.
Families and carers of the victims are being notified, while the department is also working to contact any parent or guardian whose child may have been in the care of the alleged offender during his employment.
Mr Waterford said the accused had been employed by Families SA since 2010 through until his arrest and had met the “rigorous” tests to gain and maintain employment.
The man also worked for a non-government organisation that was contracted by Families SA to cover certain shifts at the care facility.
“I‘m disgusted and horrified by these allegations,” Mr Waterford said.
“I know that the many good and decent and caring people who work in Families SA are equally horrified and distressed.
“The fact that this person was able to get through such a rigorous (employment check) system adds to the level of distress and adds to the sense of betrayal that everyone whose associated with this work has.
“He was, for all intents and purposes, a very average person and again that adds to the sense of distress ... and a level of confusion.
“The vulnerabilities of these children and their families were significant. That’s why they were in the care of the minister or the department at that time and again that adds to the level of distress that is being felt by so many people.
“These residential care facilities are a home for these children and we try to make them as homelike as we possibly can.
“The sense of disgust and betrayal that someone can do this in what was meant to be the home for these children and a safe place for them is incredibly distressing.”
Mr Waterford said the latest child sex allegations to rock the department would prompt a wideranging review of their operations.
“One of the things that we will need to be doing is reviewing every aspect of his employment, and we will be doing that,” he said.
“Out of this experience I am of the view that we probably do need to review the employment of our entire workforce.
“Every single aspect of our operating procedures needs to be reconsidered and we will be doing that.”
Families SA and SA Police are working together to provide victims and their families and carers with the required support.
Another former after-school carer, Mark Christopher Harvey, is currently serving a prison sentence for the abuse of children at a western suburbs school.
The man charged in the latest case, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is due to appear next in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on August 19.
WHAT WE KNOW
June 6: SA Police receive information that the accused man is disseminating child exploitation material.
June 9: Officers search the man’s southern suburbs home, allegedly seizing more than 100,000 images and 600 videos depicting child exploitation. They also allegedly find evidence
of “contact offending”,
or sexual assault.
June 10: The man, 32, is arrested and charged with seven counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, as well
as aggravated counts of producing, possessing and disseminating child exploitation material.
June 11: SA Police publish basic details of the man’s arrest but do not reveal any specific information. They
also alert the Department
of Education and Child Protection but advise them not to make the details public,
for operational reasons.
June 10-July 16: Special Crimes Investigation Branch officers work with police computer analysts and Families SA staff to
identify victims.
July 16: Seven preschool-aged boys and girls are identified as being victims.
July 17: Police brief Premier Jay Weatherill, Education and Child Development Minister Jennifer Rankine and Police Minister Tony Piccolo.
July 22: Families SA notifies the parents and carers of the seven victims about the alleged offending and details of the case are made public. Parents of other children who may have been in the man’s care are also sent letters notifying them.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW
Wednesday: Letters will arrive to parents at the school where the man worked notifying them of the allegations.
Coming days: Victims, their families and carers receiving support from child protection and health officials.
Coming weeks: State Government to identify
scope and type of inquiry needed to address issues
with child welfare, including review of Families SA policies.
A parliamentary committee will begin hearings as part
of an inquiry into the operations of Families SA, established in May. It has registered interest from
more than 100 people.
August 19: The man will
face Adelaide Magistrates Court, where prosecutors
will file details of allegations against him.
WHY IS HIS IDENTITY SUPPRESSED?
■ Under South Australian law, a person charged with sex offences cannot be named
or their image shown during the early stages of court proceedings.
■ State legislation stipulates that the identity of an alleged sex offender cannot be made public until they have entered a guilty plea or have been ordered to stand trial in a superior court.
■ It could be some months, or even years in some cases, until the identity of an alleged offender can be published.
Anyone who believes they may have information relating to this investigation is urged call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The Department of Education and Child Development has established a hotline for anyone concerned about this case. It can be reached on 1800 659 572.