This newsletter covers arrangements for the second anniversary review of the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme).

Should you find any of the content in this newsletter confronting or distressing, remember support is available. To find out more, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/get-free-help-apply/redress-support-services.

Second anniversary review

The Scheme was established on 1 July 2018. Following its second anniversary, an independent review is being conducted to consider how the Scheme is working for survivors and other stakeholders.

The review is wide-ranging and will consider the implementation and operation of the Scheme, how survivors experience the Scheme, access to Redress Support Services and to counselling and psychological care as well as financial arrangements.

An independent reviewer, Ms Robyn Kruk AO, is undertaking the review. Ms Kruk was the Independent Assessor of the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce and is currently the Chair of Mental Health Australia. In 2018, Ms Kruk was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to public administration, including mental health reform.

The review is undertaking consultations from July 2020 until September 2020.

To help us improve the Scheme, we encourage survivors, advocates and other stakeholders to have their say in the review. It is critical that survivors are at the centre of the review and that the review captures what matters to them most.

You can provide feedback by making a submission and/or participating in a feedback study with pre-prepared questions. Information about how you can make a submission is available on the Scheme website: www.nationalredress.gov.au/about/about-scheme/second-anniversary-review.

The feedback study will open from August 2020 and we will provide further information about this on the Scheme website and an upcoming newsletter when available.

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

You can choose to make a submission and/or participate in a feedback study (available throughout October). Submissions are open until 30 September 2020 and you can make your submission on our website.

Application progress as at 4 September 2020

As of 4 September 2020, the Scheme:

• had received 7,935 applications
• had made 4275 decisions, including 3,498 payments totaling approximately $286.6 million
• had made 561 offers of redress, which are currently with applicants to consider
• was processing 3,187 applications.

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

This newsletter covers an update on the second anniversary review of the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme).

Should you find any of the content in this newsletter confronting or distressing, remember support is available. To find out more, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/get-free-help-apply/redress-support-services.

National Redress Scheme Review Feedback Study

The National Redress Scheme review is seeking responses from survivors and support services, carers and advocates to a feedback study on experiences with the Scheme and especially with the application process.

The findings from this study will inform the findings of the review and are therefore very significant. The study is being conducted by the University of New South Wales and is confidential. The review needs your input to inform its findings and recommendations to improve the operation of the Scheme. There is one for survivors and the second is for survivor supports including advocates, carers, family members and support services. Please have your say. The links to the study are as follows:

Survey of survivors(Opens in a new tab/window)

Survey of advocates, family members, carers and other support people(Opens in a new tab/window)

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

The update gives an update on the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme). It covers the launch of new Scheme resources, a second anniversary review update and recent data.

The update contains material that could be confronting or distressing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories, particularly for people who have experienced past abuse or childhood trauma.

Support is available to help you if you need it. To find out more, go to 
www.nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/get-free-help-apply/redress-support-services.

If you need immediate support, 24-hour telephone assistance is available through:

• Beyond Blue (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 224 636
• MensLine Australia (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 789 978
• Lifeline (Opens in a new tab/window): 13 11 14

Improvements to the National Redress Scheme

The Australian Government is committed to continually improving the Scheme for survivors.

Announced in the 2020-21 Budget, a further $104.6 million will be invested in the Scheme to improve and stabilise the operation of the Scheme and better support survivors to ensure the Scheme meets their expectations.

Redress Support Services play a critical role in providing timely, trauma-informed and culturally appropriate support to survivors. This includes providing emotional support for survivors, as well as practical support to complete an application and interact with the Scheme.

The department is aware that several Redress Support Services are experiencing increased demand. This funding will minimise the number of people applying without support and ensure that appropriate assistance is available to survivors.

Institutions

The Scheme is continuously working with institutions that have been named in applications or identified by other means to encourage them to join and participate in the Scheme. To date the Commonwealth, all state and territory governments and 288 non-government institutions covering around 53,300 sites such as churches, schools, homes, charities and community groups across Australia are participating.

A further 117 institutions have committed to join and finalise on-boarding by no later than 31 December 2020.

For the latest information about institutions, visit our website: www.nationalredress.gov.au/institutions.

National Redress Scheme Review Feedback Study

The National Redress Scheme review is seeking responses from survivors and support services, carers and advocates to a feedback study on experiences with the Scheme and especially with the application process.

The findings from this study will inform the findings of the review and are therefore very significant. The study is being conducted by the University of New South Wales and is confidential. The review needs your input to inform its findings and recommendations to improve the operation of the Scheme. There is one for survivors and the second is for survivor supports including advocates, carers, family members and support services. Please have your say. The study is open until 23 October 2020 and links to the study are as follows:

Survey of survivors(Opens in a new tab/window)

Survey of advocates, family members, carers and other support people(Opens in a new tab/window)

Application progress as at 9 October 2020

As at 9 October 2020, the Scheme:

• had received 8297 applications
• had made 4670 decisions, including 3826 payments totaling approximately $315.1 million
• had made 615 offers of redress, which are currently with applicants to consider
• was processing 3215 applications.

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

This newsletter covers an update on the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme). It provides information on the National Memorial for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, an update on institutions and recent Scheme data.

The update contains material that could be confronting or distressing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories, particularly for people who have experienced past abuse or childhood trauma.

Support is available to help you if you need it. To find out more, go to 
www.nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/get-free-help-apply/redress-support-services.

If you need immediate support, 24-hour telephone assistance is available through:

• Beyond Blue (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 224 636
• MensLine Australia (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 789 978
• Lifeline (Opens in a new tab/window): 13 11 14

National Memorial for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse

As the Scheme goes into its third year of operation, the Australian Government has committed to investing $6.7 million from the 2020-21 Budget to establish a National Memorial for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (the National Memorial) in Canberra, with completion expected in 2022.

The Government will commission the National Memorial and consult with Victims and Survivors on the memorial design, scope, and purpose of an educative component.

An online survey to give all Australians a chance to have input is now open, visit www.engage.dss.gov.au(Opens in a new tab/window).

Everyone is encouraged to take part, particularly those with lived experience of institutional child sexual abuse. Your views will play an important role in acknowledging the impact of institutional child sexual abuse and contribute to healing and educating future generations. The survey is anonymous and is open until Sunday 22 November 2020.

Institutions

The Scheme is continuously working with institutions that have been named in applications or identified by other means to encourage them to join and participate in the Scheme. To date the Commonwealth, all state and territory governments and 303 non-government institutions covering around 53,300 sites such as churches, schools, homes, charities and community groups across Australia are participating.

A total of 158 non-government institutions have committed to join and finalise on-boarding by no later than 31 December 2020.

For the latest information about institutions, visit our website: www.nationalredress.gov.au/institutions.

Application progress as at 6 November 2020

As at 6 November 2020, the Scheme:

• had received 8,577 applications
• had made 4,920 decisions
• issued 4,773 outcomes
• finalised 4,155 applications, including 4,117 payments totaling approximately $340.3 million
• had made 588 offers of redress, which are currently with applicants to consider
• was processing 4,121 applications.

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

For regular updates about the Department of Social Services and the Scheme, you can ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the Australian Families Facebook page: facebook.com/FamiliesInAustralia(Opens in a new tab/window).

This newsletter covers an update on the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme).  It provides a link to the ‘Easy Read’ Factsheets on the Scheme’s website, an update on institutions and recent Scheme data.

The update contains material that could be confronting or distressing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories, particularly for people who have experienced past abuse or childhood trauma.

Support is available to help you if you need it. To find out more, go to 
www.nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/get-free-help-apply/redress-support-services.

If you need immediate support, 24-hour telephone assistance is available through:

• Beyond Blue (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 224 636
• MensLine Australia (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 789 978
• Lifeline (Opens in a new tab/window): 13 11 14

Easy Read Factsheets

The Scheme has published a set of ‘Easy Read’ Factsheets, available on the National Redress Scheme website at Easy read fact sheets | National Redress Scheme.

They provide key information on the Scheme in a more accessible manner.

Topics were drawn from the long form version already available, and includes the following:

1. What is the Scheme
2. What does the Scheme offer
3. Who can apply
4. Applying to the Scheme
5. What happens after you apply
6. Free support

Institutions

The Scheme is continuously working with institutions that have been named in applications or identified by other means to encourage them to join and participate in the Scheme.  To date the Commonwealth, all state and territory governments and 450 non-government institutions covering around 62,500 sites such as churches, schools, homes, charities and community groups across Australia are participating.

The National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) Declaration 2021 is available on the Australian Government’s Federal Register of Legislation: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2021N00026(Opens in a new tab/window).

For the latest information about institutions, visit our website: www.nationalredress.gov.au/institutions.

Application progress as at 12 February 2021

$405.4 million in total payments

As at 12 February 2021, the Scheme:

• had received 9,506 applications.
• had made 5,723 decisions.
• issued 5,178 outcomes.
• finalised 4,888 applications, including 4,842 payments totaling approximately $405.4 million.
• had made 568 offers of redress, which are currently with applicants to consider.
• was processing 3,511 applications. 
• 771 applications on hold.

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

For regular updates about the Department of Social Services and the Scheme, you can ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the Australian Families Facebook page: facebook.com/FamiliesInAustralia(Opens in a new tab/window).

This newsletter covers an update on the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme).  It provides information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, details on our progress with implementing recommendations around the Second Anniversary Review, details on the National Apology for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, and information about new institutions that have joined the Scheme.

The update contains material that could be confronting or distressing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories, particularly for people who have experienced past abuse or childhood trauma.

Support is available to help you if you need it. To find out more, go to 
www.nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/get-free-help-apply/redress-support-services.

If you need immediate support, 24-hour telephone assistance is available through:

• Beyond Blue (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 224 636
• MensLine Australia (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 789 978
• Lifeline (Opens in a new tab/window): 13 11 14

Information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

The Scheme has implemented a range of resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples living in northern Australia. These activities focus on building trust in the Scheme among survivors and raising awareness of the Redress Support Services.

More information and view our resources

AUSLAN Videos now available

The National Redress Scheme has produced a range of AUSLAN videos. These include:

• an overview of the scheme 
• applying to the Scheme 
• Scheme Statuary Declarations 
• Direct Personal Responses. 

These videos are available via https://nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/resources/national-redress-scheme-videos. We have also updated our instructional videos to include AUSLAN. These videos can be viewed here: National Redress Scheme videos | National Redress Scheme.

Second Anniversary Review (the Review)

The Government has legislated the implementation of the following measures in response to the Second Year Anniversary Review recommendations through the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment Act 2021 (the Act), which commenced on 17 September 2021:

• an advance payment to elderly and terminally ill applicants
• improvements to the way indexation of relevant prior payments is calculated
• removing the statutory declaration requirement from applications
• allowing redress payments to be made in instalments
• enabling flexibility in acceptance and review periods.

Expanding Funder of Last Resort (FOLR) arrangements

The National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Funders of Last Resort and Other Measures) Bill 2021 (the Bill) was introduced in Parliament on 27 October 2021.

The Bill follows recent legislative amendments that established a range of measures to improve the Scheme. This Bill is a further step in responding to recommendations from the Review of the National Redress Scheme.

The Bill seeks to expand FOLR arrangements to capture defunct non-government institutions (NGIs) with no responsible parent institution and where a government is not equally responsible for the abuse.  It also captures NGIs that do not have the financial capacity to participate in the Scheme.  Under the provisions, where an institution is found to be financially unable to join, they could still partly participate in the Scheme by responding to Requests for Information and providing Direct Personal Responses.  

As with current FOLR arrangements, the relevant government(s) will need to agree to list an institution for FOLR before the arrangements apply.  States and territories will consider institutions on a case by case basis. The FOLR expansion will not cover institutions who choose not to join the Scheme.

Strengthening public naming arrangements 

The Bill contains specific provisions under which protected information can be disclosed by the Scheme Operator to publicly name non-participating NGIs.  The legislative amendment aligns with the existing practice for naming NGIs on the Scheme’s website, which is an important lever in encouraging participation in the Scheme and also help keeps survivors informed.  NGIs will continue to be supported and given sufficient time to join the Scheme before they are publicly named.

Please note, these measures will not commence until they have been passed and enacted by Parliament.

To find out more or how these apply to you, please call 1800 737 377 from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

National Apology for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse

22 October 2021 marked the third anniversary of the National Apology for Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, commemorating the childhoods that were stolen and renewing the Government’s commitment and responsibility to protecting Australia’s children.

In honour, the Prime Minister announced that the Blue Knot Foundation, along with its key consortium partners, the Australian Childhood Foundation, and the Healing Foundation, would establish and deliver the National Centre for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse.

The Blue Knot Foundation will draw on the expertise of businesses, the sector, and the invaluable knowledge of victims and survivors to inform improved primary prevention, secondary support and tertiary intervention.

In response to a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, $22.5 million was committed to the establishment and operation costs of the National Centre over five years.

The National Centre is expected to be established by the end of 2021.

For more information, please visit the website for the Department of Social Services(Opens in a new tab/window).

Institutions

The Scheme is continuously working with institutions that have been named in applications or identified by other means to encourage them to join and participate in the Scheme. As at 29 October 2021, the Commonwealth, all state and territory governments and 538 non-government institutions covering around 69,200 sites such as churches, schools, homes, charities and community groups across Australia are participating.

A number of institutions were recently added to the Scheme legislation. This declaration is available via the Federal Register of Legislation: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020N00101(Opens in a new tab/window)

For the latest information about institutions, visit our website: www.nationalredress.gov.au/institutions.

Application progress as at 12 November 2021

$575.3 million in total payments

As at 12 November 2021, the Scheme:

• had received 12,612 applications 
• had made 7,882 decisions
• issued 7,623 outcomes
• finalised 6,965 applications, including 6,706 payments totalling approximately  $575.3 million
• had made 620 offers of redress, which are currently with applicants to consider
• was processing 5,236 applications
• 638 are on hold or paused, including 86 applications due to institution not participating and 31 applications where an institution is not able to be properly identified (representing 2.2% of applications on hand).

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

For regular updates about the Department of Social Services and the Scheme, you can ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the Australian Families Facebook page: facebook.com/FamiliesInAustralia(Opens in a new tab/window).

This newsletter covers an update on the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme).  It provides details on application processing and participating institutions.

The update contains material that could be confronting or distressing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories, particularly for people who have experienced past abuse or childhood trauma.

Support is available to help you if you need it. To find out more, go to 
www.nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/get-free-help-apply/redress-support-services.

If you need immediate support, 24-hour telephone assistance is available through:

• Beyond Blue (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 224 636
• MensLine Australia (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 789 978
• Lifeline (Opens in a new tab/window): 13 11 14

Recent progress and recent institutions to join:

Application progress

As of 28 January 2022, the Scheme:

• Had received over 13,541 applications.
• Made 8,520 decisions — including 7,379 payments, totalling over $636.3 million (m), with an average of $86,236.
• Made over 8,124 offers of redress, and applicants have six months to consider their offer of redress.
  5,432 applications are currently being progressed, with 115 applications on hold because one or more institutions named in the application had not yet joined the scheme.
• The total number of applications finalised and redress payments in Year 1 was 239 ($19.8m) in Year 2, there were 2,537 ($205.0m) applications. Year 3 saw, 3,283 ($285.0m) applications and 1,612 ($126.6m) have been received to date, in Year 4 of the Scheme.
• 41 IDMs are currently actively making decisions.

Participating institutions update

All institutions where child sexual abuse has occurred are encouraged to sign up to the National Redress Scheme as soon as possible.

As at Declaration 12, signed by the Minister on 14 December 2021:

• All Commonwealth and State and Territory government institutions and 562 non-government institutions are now participating in the Scheme.
• Approximately 69,800 sites across Australia are now covered by the Scheme.
• To date, 63 institutions have been declared under the Funder of Last Resort (FOLR) arrangements.
• These institutions are defunct, a government is equally responsible for the abuse and the Commonwealth and/or relevant state governments are the FOLR.

A number of institutions were recently added to the Scheme legislation. This declaration is available on via the Federal Register of Legislation: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2022N00010(Opens in a new tab/window)

For the latest information about institutions, visit our website:
www.nationalredress.gov.au/institutions.

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

For regular updates about the Department of Social Services and the Scheme, you can ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the Australian Families Facebook page: facebook.com/FamiliesInAustralia(Opens in a new tab/window).

This newsletter covers an update on the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme). It provides details on the Scheme’s general community survey, application processing and participating institutions.

The update contains material that could be confronting or distressing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories, particularly for people who have experienced past abuse or childhood trauma.

Support is available to help you if you need it. To find out more, go to 

www.nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/get-free-help-apply/redress-support-services.

If you need immediate support, 24-hour telephone assistance is available through:

• Beyond Blue (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 224 636
• MensLine Australia (Opens in a new tab/window): 1300 789 978
• Lifeline (Opens in a new tab/window): 13 11 14

We want to hear from you

The National Redress Scheme (the Scheme) wants to hear from the general community and from people who might find the Scheme personally relevant through an online survey(Opens in a new tab/window).

Taking part in the survey will help us to learn more about community awareness and understanding of the Scheme and help to improve how we talk about and share information about the Scheme. The survey does not ask anyone to disclose any personal experiences and will take about 15 minutes to complete.

Taking part is your choice and you can change your mind at any time.

Recent progress and recent institutions to join:

Application progress

As of 25 February 2022, the Scheme:

• Had received over 13,948 applications.
• Made 8,839 decisions — including 7,611 payments, totalling over $656.6 million (m), with an average of $86,270.
• Has made 8,435 offers for redress. Applicants have six months to consider their offer of redress.
• 5,553 applications are currently being progressed, with 111 applications on hold because one or more institutions named in the application had not yet joined the scheme.
• The total number of applications finalised and redress payments in Year 1 are 239 ($19.8M), 2,537 ($205.0M) in Year 2, 3,283 ($285.0M) in Year 3 of the Scheme and 1,890 ($146.8M) in Year 4 of the Scheme.
• 40 IDMs are currently actively making decisions.

Participating institutions update

All institutions where child sexual abuse has occurred are encouraged to sign up to the National Redress Scheme as soon as possible.

As at Declaration 1, signed by the Minister on 10 February 2022:

• All Commonwealth and State and Territory government institutions and 572 non-government institutions are now participating in the Scheme. 
• Approximately 70,000 sites across Australia are now covered by the Scheme. 
• To date, 63 institutions have been declared under the Funder of Last Resort (FOLR) arrangements. 
  • These institutions are defunct, a government is equally responsible for the abuse and the Commonwealth and/or relevant state governments are the FOLR.

A number of institutions were recently added to the Scheme legislation. This declaration is available on via the Federal Register of Legislation: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2022C00171(Opens in a new tab/window)

For the latest information about institutions, visit our website:
www.nationalredress.gov.au/institutions.

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

For regular updates about the Department of Social Services and the Scheme, you can ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the Australian Families Facebook page: facebook.com/FamiliesInAustralia(Opens in a new tab/window).