The National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Bill 2018 implements the Commonwealth’s response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Bill aims to recognise and alleviate the impact of past institutional child sexual abuse and related abuse and provide justice for the survivors of that abuse.
In December 2018, the Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) Board resolved that Aspect participate in the National Redress Scheme, and be part of this national commitment to recognise the impact of institutional child sexual abuse.
In making this resolution the Board noted that while Aspect is not aware of any historical cases of child sexual abuse it was possible that Aspect may be subject to a claim in the future because of the many years it has provided schooling to children on the autism spectrum, compounded by the long delay that is often involved in a survivor disclosing the abuse.
The Board considers it important that Aspect be open in this area of work, commits to addressing any past matters and does everything it can to make our schools and services as child safe as they can be both now and into the future.
After completing the application process, Aspect was recently declared by the Minister as a participating institution in the National Redress Scheme and officially commenced its participation in the Scheme on 4th February 2020.
The Scheme provides eligible people with access to any or all of the following three things:
- counselling
- a redress payment, and
- a direct personal response from an institution.
People who wish to make a claim against any institution participating in the Scheme can do so at any time up until 30 June 2027. For more information and to make an application go to https://www.nationalredress.gov.au/
For more information including easy read fact sheets, click here