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Many Some of the parents,
through a spokeswoman, yesterday expressed fear and horror after preliminary
inquiries into allegations of children being sexually abused at the centre
led to a police investigation. “The whole situation
has turnd into a nightmare for parents. They’re
living in fear that they’ll discover their children have been abused,” the
spokeswoman said. “It is a horrifying
situation which is getting worse and worse.” She said parents were
sick with worry as they waited for investigation findings. The investigation is
believed to involve about 200 children of both sexes. They will be
interviewed by psychologists and include those in care at the crèche and
those who attended back to 1986, when the man at the centre of the inquiry
was employed. It would probably take
months. The management
committee of parents running the centre suspended a male worker last November
after concerns from a child’s parents. The parents made a
complaint to the police who began a preliminary investigation. The man was
dismissed by the Christchurch City Council, which assists the centre, last
month. The council’s
metropolitan services manager, Mr Rob Dally, said last night that he could
not comment on why the man was dismissed because it was between the
individual and the council as his employer. The parent’s
spokeswoman, who wished to remain anonymous, said parents would feel “very
stupid” if it was proved that sexual abuse had taken place because several of
them had trusted and liked the worker enough to use him as a babysitter. Staff appointments at
the centre are made by the council on the recommendation of the management
committee. Last week the council
sent letters to 180 families of children who had attended the centre since
1986. It invited parents to a meeting on March 31, when the police and
Department of Social Welfare staff would explain how to identify sexual
abuse. Mr Dally said parents
should not interrogate their children about whether they had been sexually
abused before they had some idea of how to ask questions. Interrogation now could
frustrate the inquiry by tainting evidence, he said. The council was
reviewing its methods for approving appointments at the centre and guaranteeing
follow-up checks. DSW, police, council,
and committee representatives would meet tomorrow to further discuss the
situation, Mr Dally said. He said there was a
possibility the letters posted to families would not reach everyonecularly if they had shifted since their children attended
the centre. Media coverage of the
inquiry would hopefully ensure that all families which had sent children to
the centre would hear about the meeting on March 31, he said. “The Press” understands
that city councillors have been kept informed of the investigation through
confidential memos. Meanwhile, the
investigation has sparked an outcry around |
