More than 1000 NSW schools and other institutions under investigation for child abuse

More than 1000 schools and other institutions across NSW are under investigation for historic and recent child abuse incidents, with fears some perpetrators could still be teaching in classrooms.

Beyond Abuse CEO Steve Fisher and Sheree Buchanan, of Shine Lawyers, are encouraging more victims of abuse to come forward. Picture: Linda Higginson

More than 1000 schools, Scout clubs, churches and other institutions across NSW are under investigation for serious allegations of child abuse, with fears some perpetrators could still be teaching in classrooms.

The Daily Telegraph can exclusively reveal that alleged victims of abuse, including historical child sex abuse, had lodged complaints against more than 100 public schools and 90 independent schools, including private and Catholic colleges.

The revelations have prompted fears from legal experts that perpetrators with recent allegations against them could still be working in schools across the state.

The hundreds of other complaints to Shine Lawyers involve Scout clubs, foster care, churches and even youth charities.

Sheree Buchanan, special counsel and general manager of abuse law at Shine Lawyers, said the complaints against schools and other institutions in the past five years were “alarmingly” high.

Sheree Buchanan of Shine Lawyers says the number of child abuse claims is ‘alarmingly high’. Picture: Linda Higginson

“Abuse is something that we think should not be buried, we speak to clients daily who suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety … and even suicide,” Ms Buchanan said.

“One victim told me the abuse he suffered was a lifetime sentence.”

The experienced lawyer said Shine was acting on behalf of clients who had been abused in schools from 1970 through to the early-2000s.

“Some of these perpetrators may still operate within our school system today,” she said.

“The cases we are investigating include abuse perpetrated by staff members at the schools, whether that’s teachers or in some cases even principals.”

Ms Buchanan said: “We want survivors out there who have been abused to know that there are people out there who will believe them.”

Former Marist Brother Kevin Joseph Jewell (formerly known as Brother Dacian) was jailed in 2021.

In recent years, the reporting of child sexual offences has been on the rise in NSW, with more offenders coming before the courts — and being sent to jail.

In December 2022, former Illawarra Catholic school teacher Gaye Grant was jailed for sexually exploiting a vulnerable boy over two years during the 1970s.

A former Marist Brother was sentenced in mid-2021 for disturbing child sex offences he committed almost 50 years ago.

Kevin Joseph Jewell admitted to molesting boys in his class in the 1960s, some as young as nine, when teaching at the Marist College in Eastwood and at another school in Randwick.

But a NSW Department of Education spokesman said: “Child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime, and we apologise unreservedly to survivors of sexual abuse that has occurred in the public system.”

“The Department of Education has zero tolerance for perpetrators of sexual abuse and no individual facing charges or convicted of this crime is permitted in our schools.

“Any allegations of sexual abuse should be reported to the police.”

Head of Maurice Blackburn Lawyers’ NSW abuse team Danielle De Paoli said a significant number of her cases relate to abuse at the hands of teachers in the public and private school systems, stretching back to the 1970s and through to the present day.

“There are pockets of schools where we are aware that there are a number of perpetrators within the same schools,” she said.

Ms De Paoli said it was likely some of the perpetrators were still working, especially in public schools, with the Department of Education’s lawyers and internal investigators appearing to struggle to keep up with the number of complaints being made.

Chief executive of child protection not-for-profit organisation Bravehearts Alison Geale said the number of abuse allegations made by victim-survivors was “startling”.

“These perpetrators have incredible manipulation and control over victim-survivors and I’m hoping we see more and more people disclose,” Ms Geale said.

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Originally published as More than 1000 NSW schools and other institutions under investigation for child abuse