❓ A parliamentary question regarding the signs of child sexual abuse and the Minister's response deferring to trained professionals and legislation.
AnsweredQoN 1187Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE - DETECTION 1187. Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY to the Minister for Child Protection: As a former child protection officer who has worked with child sexual abuse victims, I know it is very hard to detect such abuse in children. What does the minister think are the signs of a child who has been sexually abused? Hon SUE ELLERY
AnswerView source ↗
I am not a professional child protection worker and I will not receive the training that the doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers, who already have a degree of training in this area, will receive. I am not sure that it is a reasonable proposition to ask me what I think the signs are because what I think they are is irrelevant; I will not be doing the assessment. The legislation states that those professionals who are mandated to report abuse will be required to report when they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse. Those reasonable grounds could include a variety of things, including physical evidence and psychological evidence, which relates to the way that a child behaves. The critical issue is that the legislation which we announced and which was introduced in the other house today targets a group of professionals who will receive additional training on top of that which they already have to ensure that they are well equipped and have the training and skills they need to identify, on the basis of their professional judgement, whether a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse when they believe there are reasonable grounds.
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE - DETECTION
As a former child protection officer who has worked with child sexual abuse victims, I know it is very hard to detect such abuse in children. What does the minister think are the signs of a child who has been sexually abused? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I am not a professional child protection worker and I will not receive the training that the doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers, who already have a degree of training in this area, will receive. I am not sure that it is a reasonable proposition to ask me what I think the signs are because what I think they are is irrelevant; I will not be doing the assessment. The legislation states that those professionals who are mandated to report abuse will be required to report when they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse. Those reasonable grounds could include a variety of things, including physical evidence and psychological evidence, which relates to the way that a child behaves. The critical issue is that the legislation which we announced and which was introduced in the other house today targets a group of professionals who will receive additional training on top of that which they already have to ensure that they are well equipped and have the training and skills they need to identify, on the basis of their professional judgement, whether a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse when they believe there are reasonable grounds.
Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I am not a professional child protection worker and I will not receive the training that the doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers, who already have a degree of training in this area, will receive. I am not sure that it is a reasonable proposition to ask me what I think the signs are because what I think they are is irrelevant; I will not be doing the assessment. The legislation states that those professionals who are mandated to report abuse will be required to report when they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse. Those reasonable grounds could include a variety of things, including physical evidence and psychological evidence, which relates to the way that a child behaves. The critical issue is that the legislation which we announced and which was introduced in the other house today targets a group of professionals who will receive additional training on top of that which they already have to ensure that they are well equipped and have the training and skills they need to identify, on the basis of their professional judgement, whether a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse when they believe there are reasonable grounds.
I am not a professional child protection worker and I will not receive the training that the doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers, who already have a degree of training in this area, will receive. I am not sure that it is a reasonable proposition to ask me what I think the signs are because what I think they are is irrelevant; I will not be doing the assessment. The legislation states that those professionals who are mandated to report abuse will be required to report when they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse. Those reasonable grounds could include a variety of things, including physical evidence and psychological evidence, which relates to the way that a child behaves. The critical issue is that the legislation which we announced and which was introduced in the other house today targets a group of professionals who will receive additional training on top of that which they already have to ensure that they are well equipped and have the training and skills they need to identify, on the basis of their professional judgement, whether a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse when they believe there are reasonable grounds.
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE - DETECTION
As a former child protection officer who has worked with child sexual abuse victims, I know it is very hard to detect such abuse in children. What does the minister think are the signs of a child who has been sexually abused? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I am not a professional child protection worker and I will not receive the training that the doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers, who already have a degree of training in this area, will receive. I am not sure that it is a reasonable proposition to ask me what I think the signs are because what I think they are is irrelevant; I will not be doing the assessment. The legislation states that those professionals who are mandated to report abuse will be required to report when they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse. Those reasonable grounds could include a variety of things, including physical evidence and psychological evidence, which relates to the way that a child behaves. The critical issue is that the legislation which we announced and which was introduced in the other house today targets a group of professionals who will receive additional training on top of that which they already have to ensure that they are well equipped and have the training and skills they need to identify, on the basis of their professional judgement, whether a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse when they believe there are reasonable grounds.
Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I am not a professional child protection worker and I will not receive the training that the doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers, who already have a degree of training in this area, will receive. I am not sure that it is a reasonable proposition to ask me what I think the signs are because what I think they are is irrelevant; I will not be doing the assessment. The legislation states that those professionals who are mandated to report abuse will be required to report when they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse. Those reasonable grounds could include a variety of things, including physical evidence and psychological evidence, which relates to the way that a child behaves. The critical issue is that the legislation which we announced and which was introduced in the other house today targets a group of professionals who will receive additional training on top of that which they already have to ensure that they are well equipped and have the training and skills they need to identify, on the basis of their professional judgement, whether a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse when they believe there are reasonable grounds.
I am not a professional child protection worker and I will not receive the training that the doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers, who already have a degree of training in this area, will receive. I am not sure that it is a reasonable proposition to ask me what I think the signs are because what I think they are is irrelevant; I will not be doing the assessment. The legislation states that those professionals who are mandated to report abuse will be required to report when they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse. Those reasonable grounds could include a variety of things, including physical evidence and psychological evidence, which relates to the way that a child behaves. The critical issue is that the legislation which we announced and which was introduced in the other house today targets a group of professionals who will receive additional training on top of that which they already have to ensure that they are well equipped and have the training and skills they need to identify, on the basis of their professional judgement, whether a child has been the victim of child sexual abuse when they believe there are reasonable grounds.
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