A MOVE by the Anglican Church to be part of the national redress scheme for survivors of institutionalised child sexual abuse has been welcomed by support and advocacy group Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN).
The church will establish an independent company that will allow it to participate in the redress scheme. It will also act for survivors of abuse who are unwilling or unable to use the scheme.
A meeting of the triennial General Synod voted a new church law to set up the company, so it has the flexibility to join the commonwealth scheme. Many of the 23 Anglican dioceses already have redress schemes, but they are not nationally consistent, and depend on survivors approaching the church.
Garth Blake, who led the national church working group with the royal commission, told the synod the church needed to face its moral responsibility, including financial consequences, to the survivors of child sexual abuse.
He said the Anglican Church had paid more than $30 million to victims so far, but the financial commitment required next would be much greater than that. “We will be paying for a long time to come for the sins of our fathers and of our colleagues.”
The synod unanimously passed new rules on child protection that for the first time are binding on all clergy and church workers, and feature independent audits that will be published.
It also approved a national scheme for dealing with child protection complaints against diocesan bishops, including former bishops. Complaints that question the fitness of a bishop to hold office or remain in holy orders will be referred to the national Episcopal Standards Board.
CLAN chief executive Leonie Sheedy said it was welcome news for many who feared the Anglican Church had ignored their call for justice for the abuse suffered in Anglican-run orphanages and children’s homes. However, she said all state governments, churches and charities also needed to opt in.
- CLAN, 1800-008-774, www.clan.org.au
