The earlier Parts of this report have explored the experiences of victim-survivors in depth, including how the experiences of child sexual abuse they shared with the Board of Inquiry affected their life at the time, and subsequently. As discussed in those earlier Parts of the report, the impacts of historical child sexual abuse extend beyond victim-survivors, to secondary victims and affected communities.
As well as sharing with the Board of Inquiry their experiences of child sexual abuse and its consequences, victim-survivors and secondary victims shared their thoughts, hopes and aspirations for support and healing. Many victim-survivors (and some secondary victims) who engaged with the Board of Inquiry had experience with support services and were willing to provide their reflections and insights about those services. Victim-survivors also spoke about their personal healing journey.
Under clause 3(d) of its Terms of Reference, the Board of Inquiry was required to inquire into ‘[a]ppropriate ways to support healing for affected victim-survivors, secondary victims and affected communities including, for example, the form of a formal apology, memorialisation or other activities’.1 Under clause 3(e) of its Terms of Reference the Board of Inquiry was also required to inquire into ‘whether there are effective support services for victim-survivors of historical child sexual abuse in government schools’, having regard to ‘other inquiries and reforms that have taken place since the historical child sexual abuse occurred’.2
Healing looks different for every person and can take many forms. Healing processes for victim-survivors, secondary victims and affected communities may include sharing experiences, receiving acknowledgement and apologies, and seeing institutions responsible for failing to guard against or enabling child sexual abuse take responsibility for what happened. Seeking justice, helping others and banding together as communities in response to historical child sexual abuse can also help individuals and communities to heal.
Engaging with and receiving support from services can also play an important role in helping people to heal; and, as Dr Joe Tucci, CEO, Australian Childhood Foundation, told the Board of Inquiry, a ‘mix of formal and informal supports is essential to meet the varying needs of victim-survivors’.3 While they are only one aspect of healing, support services may contribute to healing by delivering trauma-informed therapeutic supports, facilitating connection with victim-survivor peers, and providing practical supports to victim-survivors, such as financial assistance or help with navigating the justice system and other complex processes.4
The Board of Inquiry has listened carefully to the information and ideas people shared about their healing and support needs. While its Terms of Reference do not require the Board of Inquiry to address the full range of support needs people shared, the inquiry nevertheless acknowledges them.
This Part of the report explores what healing means for victim-survivors of historical child sexual abuse in government schools.
To address clause 3(d) of the Terms of Reference, Chapter 15, Perspectives on healing(opens in a new window), introduces the concept of healing and explores the different ways individuals and communities can heal from historical child sexual abuse. It recognises that support services are a component of this healing.
The following two chapters — Chapter 16, Where people can go for support(opens in a new window), and Chapter 17, Support needs and challenges(opens in a new window) — address clause 3(e) of the Terms of Reference. They examine existing support services for victim-survivors of historical child sexual abuse in government schools to inform the Board of Inquiry’s assessment of whether there are effective support services in place for this cohort.
Chapter 18, Looking to the future(opens in a new window) contains the Board of Inquiry’s recommendations about specific ways to support victim-survivors, secondary victims and affected communities of historical child sexual abuse in government schools to heal, including recommendations for improvements to support services for victim-survivors.
A note to readers
Experiences of victim-survivors, secondary victims and affected community members
Throughout this report, the Board of Inquiry shares information that reflects some of the experiences that victim-survivors, secondary victims and affected community members shared with the Board of Inquiry.
In this Part, the Board of Inquiry shares some of the experiences and perspectives of victim-survivors, secondary victims and affected community members who participated in the Lived Experience Roundtable. The perspectives of the Lived Experience Roundtable participants have informed the Board of Inquiry’s consideration of various issues relevant to this Part.
The Board of Inquiry is deeply grateful to the victim-survivors, secondary victims and affected community members who so courageously shared their experiences of child sexual abuse. The Board of Inquiry also acknowledges those victim-survivors who have chosen not to disclose their experiences of child sexual abuse, and may never do so, including those who are no longer with us.
The Board of Inquiry asked people who engaged with it how they wanted their information to be managed. Some wished to share their experiences publicly. Some wished to do so anonymously and others wished to do so confidentially. Where people shared their experiences anonymously, the Board of Inquiry has not included any identifying information in this report. Where people shared their experiences confidentially, the Board of Inquiry used this information to inform its work, but has not included it in this report.
In relation to those who wished to share their experiences publicly, in some cases the Board of Inquiry determined that it should anonymise the information they shared. This decision was made for legal or related reasons, including in order to avoid causing prejudice to any current or future criminal or civil proceedings.
The Board of Inquiry shares the experiences of victim-survivors, secondary victims and affected community members to create an important public record of their recollections. However, the Board of Inquiry has not examined or tested these accounts for accuracy or weighed whether there is enough evidence to support criminal or civil proceedings. The approach the Board of Inquiry has taken in this regard is consistent with its objectives and its Terms of Reference.5
The Board of Inquiry expresses its immense gratitude to all who contributed, in any way, to its work. Those who shared their experiences have shaped the Board of Inquiry’s general findings and recommendations and contributed to a shared understanding, among all Victorians, of the impact of child sexual abuse. The Board of Inquiry expects this report will reinforce the community’s commitment to better protect children from sexual abuse into the future.
Introduction Endnotes
- Order in Council, ‘Appointment of a Board of Inquiry into Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and Certain Other Government Schools’, Victorian Government Gazette, No S 339, 28 June 2023, cl 3(d).
- Order in Council (Vic), ‘Appointment of a Board of Inquiry into Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and Certain Other Government Schools’, Victorian Government Gazette, No S 339, 28 June 2023, cl 3(e).
- Statement of Joe Tucci, 21 November 2023, 12 [58].
- See e.g.: Submission 29, Bravehearts, 3; Statement of Rob Gordon, 22 November 2023, 9 [41]; Private session 19; Lived Experience Perspectives Roundtable, Record of Proceedings, 1 December 2023.
- Order in Council (Vic), ‘Appointment of a Board of Inquiry into Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and Certain Other Government Schools’, Victorian Government Gazette, No S 339, 28 June 2023.
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