The Families SA sex abuse scandal widened today with revelations that the mother of an 18-month-old toddler had raised concerns her child was being abused, only to have them dismissed.
The mother’s lawyer, Peter Humphries, told InDaily today the emerging evidence that there were “three red flags raised” about a 32-year-old Families SA carer would almost certainly give rise to allegations of negligence by the department.
“We have seen barely the tip of the iceberg in these matters,” said Humphries, an experienced abuse victims advocate at Duncan Basheer Hannon.
“From what I have seen so far, there will be more alleged victims as this investigation unfolds, something the police have already alluded to.
“And who knows what will emerge along the way in regard to the department’s knowledge.”
The State Government has recently acknowledged that concerns were raised by a co-worker, and Humphries said the suggestion that these were “summarily dismissed” showed Families SA decision-makers “had rocks in their head”.
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“We’ve seen since the mid-1990s that institutions that fully investigate allegations of sex abuse end up paying dearly for their failures; Families SA only have to look at what now happens in the Catholic and Anglican Churches to know that the practice of dismissing complaints out of hand is no longer acceptable.
“These matters certainly raise concerns about Families SA and their responses to a co-worker’s allegations and, in the case of my clients, a mother’s concern that her 18-month-old had shown behavioural changes that indicated possible sexual abuse.
“She says that Families SA told her she was being paranoid and to forget it.”
Humphries confirmed that the mother was one of the parents notified by the State Government that their child was one of the seven children alleged to have been abused by the carer.
The “red flag” revelations are a long way from the day SA Police, Families SA and the Premier held a media conference to announce that seven child sex abuse charges had been laid against a 32-year-old carer from the southern suburbs.
On that occasion on July 22, officials told media no complaints had been made against the man during his employment, nor had there been any indications arise at the time of his employment.
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One official, Families SA head David Waterford, has since resigned.
Peter Humphries said much has changed since the definitive statements of July 22.
“What we now know, so far, is that there was a red flag raised during psychological assessment that wasn’t acted on, a red flag raised by a co-worker that wasn’t acted on and now a parent of a child in temporary care who raised a red flag and that wasn’t acted on.
“That’s three red flags.”
The Minister at the centre of the growing scandal, Jennifer Rankine, maintained today that any statements she has made regarding the charged man’s employment related only to the position “at the time of his being employed”.
“I cannot talk about subsequent issues,” the Child Development Minister told ABC radio.
“The Police Commissioner is in charge of this investigation and he determines what information is released and when.”
Rankine then went on to state: “We have contacted all the parents of the victims that have been identified.”
Humphries said the process of investigation and subsequent negligent claims could take 2o years.
“This is the beginning of a long journey; some of these claims won’t be finalised for up to 20 years when the alleged victims are in their late teens or early adulthood when damage can be fully assessed.”
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