Anglicare has been urged to immediately review its response to allegations of sexual abuse after a royal commission found it failed to report a woman’s assault to police and did not undertake a proper investigation.
The disability royal commission heard last April that Niky* – who lives with a developmental disability – was sexually assaulted by another person with a disability at an Anglicare respite centre in Queensland in 2018.
The perpetrator was found guilty and convicted that same year, but Anglicare took several years to offer Niky and her family a written apology for failing to report the assault.
A report by the royal commission found Anglicare “lacked a trauma-informed approach” and failed to support Niky appropriately.
The organisation accepted the six findings made by the royal commission in the report, released on Tuesday, which found it did not conduct a comprehensive internal investigation, failed to follow mandatory reporting procedures and placed the burden of reporting on Niky and her parents.
The report also found Anglicare failed to provide feedback to Niky’s parents and did not follow its own procedures to ensure she was supported to attend the nearest sexual assault service for initial counselling, medical examination and forensic sampling.
The royal commission was also scathing of the fact that only one staff meeting was undertaken after the sexual assault, describing it as “insufficient” considering “the seriousness of the incident and the absence of Anglicare addressing risk factors”.
The report recommended that Anglicare immediately review the incident and its formal complaint procedures. Consultation with Niky and her parents about any further redress has also been recommended.
In their submission to the royal commission, Anglicare said that it “recognises that it can and should do better”.
“Anglicare acknowledges that its actions in relation to the standard practice and its own policies and procedures. Anglicare recognises that it can and should do better going forward in order to ensure it is able to provide safe, high-quality services,” the organisation said.
“Anglicare apologises unreservedly to Niky and her family.”
In unrelated allegations, the commission last week heard about teenage brothers who were discovered severely malnourished, naked and locked in a room with no food or furniture after their father died.
The inquiry revealed that between June 2000 and May 2020, there were 30 occasions when concerns about neglect were raised with Queensland authorities, while 19 child protection notifications were received by the state’s Department of Child Safety.
The commissioner, John Ryan, said that case involved a “whole heap of sliding-door moments where people might have recognised two young men who are in serious trouble and no one noticed”.
*Name has been changed to protect the individual’s identity
In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
