‘Shocking’ failures in Tasmania’s out of home care system led to repeated child abuse

State authorities ignored a ‘red flag’, leaving an alleged child abuser with two children, resulting in a girl suffering repeated abuse, inquiry told.

The Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings. Commissioners Marcia Neave, Leah Bromfield and Robert Benjamin. Picture: Alastair Betts

Tasmanian authorities ignored a “red flag”, leaving an alleged child abuser with two children in a foster home, resulting in a girl suffering repeated abuse, an inquiry has heard.

Disturbing evidence by a witness know as Faye was on Tuesday cited in Tasmania’s commission of inquiry into state responses to child abuse as evidence of a system failing children.

Counsel assisting the inquiry, Rachel Ellyard, said despite nine reports into out of home care recommending better checks and support there was an average of one abuse allegation a week in the sector.

“The evidence will be that the system has failed to prevent sexual harm to some children in state care and that it has failed to respond to sexual harm when it has occurred,” she said. “There can be no doubt the system needs to be improved.”

The inquiry, which has powers similar to a royal commission, heard a statement from Faye, who presented evidence she was repeatedly abused in foster care in the 1990s.

Her statement read to hearings in Hobart said she found a foster home offered “stability and structure” until her foster parents’ son was sacked from his job and returned to live in the family home.

The dismissal followed allegations the adult son had been involved in a “relationship” with a child. “When (he) moved back to the house there must have been some sort of red-flag raised,” Faye said.

“Three staff from Children and Youth Services visited the house and had a conversation with my sibling and I in the presence of (my foster mother).”

The staff asked the children if they wanted to stay, but did not inform them of the allegations against the adult son, she said. “Both my sibling and I told them that we wanted to stay,” she said.

“We hadn’t been told what had happened … and didn’t understand the implications or risk of him coming to live in the house with us.

“We were children. We should have been removed from the house by CYS, at least until the allegation … had been resolved.”

When she was aged under 15, the adult son began what she now recognised as “grooming” conduct, she said in the statement.

“(He) would wrestle me on the ground … and when he did this I could feel his genitals pressing against me,” she said. “He would play with us, try to get really close to us and kiss us.

“It got worse from there … He started to come to our room and sexually abuse me before I went to sleep … It was quite a lot.”

Her foster mother had “laughed” at her when she reported the abuse. She was eventually removed from the home by authorities but her sibling stayed a while longer and other girls were fostered to the family.

“It is shocking to me that they continued to place young girls in the house despite my allegations and the clear risk,” Faye said in her statement.

The inquiry is highlighting failures across the state service in responding to allegations of child sexual abuse, focusing on child protection, health, education and youth detention.