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Catholic Education Office 'not told' of risk assessment against disgraced priest
By Katie Burgess
The head of Catholic education in Canberra has admitted his office was not told a risk assessment had been conducted by Catholic officials about a disgraced priest who was moved next to two primary schools.
Archbishop Christopher Prowse, education officials and head of the Institute for Professional Standards and Safeguarding Matt Casey faced the wrath of parents at a forum on Thursday night, three weeks after it was revealed the archbishop had placed a priest with substantiated complaints of improper conduct towards children next to Sts Peter and Paul Primary School.
The findings of an independent review into the placement of the priest next to two Canberra schools will be handed down in June.Credit: iStock
However the Catholic Education Office has revealed they were never told the priest had been placed in such close proximity to the school or that a risk assessment about the placement had been done.
Although current principal Margaret Pollard was given a copy of the risk assessment in May last year, the document contained no details of the allegations against former Tumut parish priest Brian Hassett.
Furthermore, the Institute for Professional Standards and Safeguarding instructed Mrs Pollard to limit the distribution of the risk assessment to senior staff only. Other staff in the school and the Catholic Education Office remained unaware.
That breakdown in communication will be scrutinised in an external review, announced by Archbishop Prowse.
Sydney barrister Jane Seymour has been contracted to undertake the review, the findings of which will be handed to the archbishop in late May. The recommendations will be made public in late June.
Catholic Education director Ross Fox said in advance of those recommendations, protocols have been change "to ensure this never happens again".
"I am angry and distressed that the school community has suffered through recent failings of the Catholic Church and Catholic education," Mr Fox said in a statement.
Furthermore, the Institute for Professional Standards and Safeguarding will no longer be responsible for overseeing child protection matters in Catholic schools
"All matters relating to child protection concerning Catholic schools will now be dealt with by Catholic education under the strict regulatory regime that applies to all schools and all teachers," a spokesman for Catholic Education said.
"Notification of incidents and allegations will occur as required. The IPSS will constitute an additional accountability."
The institute can no longer provide instructions to Catholic education staff, although the spokesman said they would still work "collaboratively" with the IPSS and external agencies.
"This will ensure the highest levels of scrutiny of our processes which have failed in this regard," he said.
Three students have now been pulled out of Sts Peter and Paul since the scandal broke last month.
Anthony Millgate, who pulled his daughter out because of the revelations said he felt vindicated in his decision after the forum.
"It opened up more questions about the competence of the people involved," Dr Millgate said.
Meanwhile, Alan Marshall, a grandparent to a prospective student, said he was barred from entering the meeting.
After driving an hour to the meeting, Mr Marshall told Fairfax Media officials threatened to call the police to remove him when he questioned why he could not enter.
"I've got a grandchild planning on starting here next year and the parents weren't available so I said I'd go on their behalf," Mr Marshall said.
"They said all non-parents had to leave the room and I said, that's not how it was advertised, and that's particularly unfair given I've driven from Murrumbateman."
Mr Fox told ABC Radio Canberra on Friday morning Mr Marshall was mistaken in his belief that it was a "public gathering".
"That's not what it was. It was for the school community. We don't apologise for that because we have a duty to inform parents and be transparent and open with them," Mr Fox said,
Parents at the Malkara School next door were not extended an invitation to the forum either.
However the Catholic Education spokesman said Archbishop Prowse would meet with the Malkara principal soon.