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159689
Wed, 02/09/2011 - 11:48
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http://m.oananews.org//node/159689
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Victorian government agencies have come under fire after the Ombudsman found they had failed to report more than 700 children had been in contact with registered sex offenders.
(AAP) - Victorian government agencies have come under fire after the Ombudsman found they had failed to report more than 700 children had been in contact with registered sex offenders.
The damning report tabled in state parliament on Wednesday found that between October 2004 and March 2010, 899 registered sex offenders reported to Victoria Police that they had been in contact with one or more children.
But Victoria Police say they "deeply regret" failing to notify the Department of Human Services (DHS) that 376 of those offenders had reported contact with more than 700 children, despite some offenders posing a high risk to children.
In one case, a convicted child sex offender released from prison had reported his new living arrangements involved children.
A subsequent police investigation found a child was sexually abused after the offender's contact with children had not been reported by his case manager.
The report found Corrections Victoria had reached an agreement with DHS to provide only a summary report on offenders when risk assessments for children were conducted.
Ombudsman George Brouwer said the failure of the police, DHS and Corrections Victoria to work together to protect vulnerable children contravened the Charter of Human Rights.
He said the safety and protection of children had been compromised by bureaucratic processes that "prolonged the process of providing critical information".
"The volume of these matters indicates a systemic breakdown in the management of registered sex offenders rather than isolated instances of individuals failing to meet their responsibilities."
The report recommends regular audits of the Sex Offenders Registry and suggests that the three agencies develop a system for sharing information on registered sex offenders.
The government will act on the 10 recommendations in the report via a taskforce comprised of the Corrections Minister, Community Services Minister and the Attorney-General and government department heads, to be chaired by Police Minister Peter Ryan.
"It is utterly unacceptable that a report of this nature should be tabled in the parliament of Victoria," Mr Ryan told reporters.
"We intend to fix these issues and we will do so as soon as we possibly can by whatever means is necessary to achieve the required result.
He said the current reporting system needed to be amended.
Victoria Police have blamed a lack of funding to manage the sex offender program.
"Additional funding was sought from the government in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and on each occasion we made it clear that the extra funds were required for us to meet our legislative obligations under the Act," Victoria Police said in a statement.
"On each occasion, our requests were turned down."
Victoria Police says it appointed an Assistant Commissioner in 2009 to directly oversee the work of the Sex Offenders Register.
Child Safety Commissioner Bernie Geary says government agencies must work more closely together.
"It's really alarming that children's rights are being trampled," he said.
"In these cases children are the ones who haven't got case workers, or psychologists or lawyers; these children are completely at risk in respect of the insidious nature of some sex offenders that operate with stealth and guile."
Mr Geary said the rights of registered sex offenders freed from prison must be balanced with the rights of children.
"Nobody's more vulnerable than kids," he said.
The damning report tabled in state parliament on Wednesday found that between October 2004 and March 2010, 899 registered sex offenders reported to Victoria Police that they had been in contact with one or more children.
But Victoria Police say they "deeply regret" failing to notify the Department of Human Services (DHS) that 376 of those offenders had reported contact with more than 700 children, despite some offenders posing a high risk to children.
In one case, a convicted child sex offender released from prison had reported his new living arrangements involved children.
A subsequent police investigation found a child was sexually abused after the offender's contact with children had not been reported by his case manager.
The report found Corrections Victoria had reached an agreement with DHS to provide only a summary report on offenders when risk assessments for children were conducted.
Ombudsman George Brouwer said the failure of the police, DHS and Corrections Victoria to work together to protect vulnerable children contravened the Charter of Human Rights.
He said the safety and protection of children had been compromised by bureaucratic processes that "prolonged the process of providing critical information".
"The volume of these matters indicates a systemic breakdown in the management of registered sex offenders rather than isolated instances of individuals failing to meet their responsibilities."
The report recommends regular audits of the Sex Offenders Registry and suggests that the three agencies develop a system for sharing information on registered sex offenders.
The government will act on the 10 recommendations in the report via a taskforce comprised of the Corrections Minister, Community Services Minister and the Attorney-General and government department heads, to be chaired by Police Minister Peter Ryan.
"It is utterly unacceptable that a report of this nature should be tabled in the parliament of Victoria," Mr Ryan told reporters.
"We intend to fix these issues and we will do so as soon as we possibly can by whatever means is necessary to achieve the required result.
He said the current reporting system needed to be amended.
Victoria Police have blamed a lack of funding to manage the sex offender program.
"Additional funding was sought from the government in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and on each occasion we made it clear that the extra funds were required for us to meet our legislative obligations under the Act," Victoria Police said in a statement.
"On each occasion, our requests were turned down."
Victoria Police says it appointed an Assistant Commissioner in 2009 to directly oversee the work of the Sex Offenders Register.
Child Safety Commissioner Bernie Geary says government agencies must work more closely together.
"It's really alarming that children's rights are being trampled," he said.
"In these cases children are the ones who haven't got case workers, or psychologists or lawyers; these children are completely at risk in respect of the insidious nature of some sex offenders that operate with stealth and guile."
Mr Geary said the rights of registered sex offenders freed from prison must be balanced with the rights of children.
"Nobody's more vulnerable than kids," he said.
