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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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On Sunday 1 May, the Sunday
current affairs programme on Television One broadcast an item about
allegations of abuse at the Berhampore home run by Presbyterian Support
Services Central in the 50s and 60s. The Dominion-Post and other news
agencies have also published or broadcast items about this matter, and it is
likely there will be further media coverage. Some matters have not
been adequately covered in the newspaper, radio and television reports, even
though we have given careful detailed briefings. This information may help
answer questions you have about the Church’s response to this matter.
·
The Assembly Executive Secretary has completed an
investigation into claims that the Moderator took no action, and the Church’s
records are inconclusive. ·
The investigation included a review of available records
and discussions with relevant people. The investigation was made more
difficult because the Moderator has since died. ·
We find no record of a report passed to the Moderator, nor
have we been able to establish whether a report was passed to Presbyterian
Support Services Central for their investigation. ·
We are aware of a uniform protocol that in the case of
serious verbal allegations a request is made for written documentation with a
commitment to forward such documentation into the Church’s formal processes. ·
The allegation of inaction relates to conversations that
are reported to have occurred that occurred more than 14 years ago in 1991.
Since then, the Church has significantly improved its processes for managing
complaints of misconduct. We are confident that if a similar situation arose
today, that the matter would be picked up and dealt with quickly.
This simply isn’t
accurate; the Church has taken action to support the complainant(s) and the
key actions are noted below: ·
The Church has publicly expressed regret that it has taken
so long for the complainants to have their concerns heard by Presbyterian
Support Services Central. It has also been reiterated that the Church does
not condone abusive behaviours and that the safety of those in our care is of
paramount importance. ·
The Presbyterian Church provided significant support for
the first claimant (she is the only person, to date, that has made direct
contact with the Church in relation to these matters). In 2001, a church
contact person provided active support including encouraging her to lay a
complaint with the police, provided pastoral care and attended meetings
between her and Presbyterian Support Services Central in a support role. ·
In 2001, the Presbyterian parish of which Mr Lake was an
elder took action to assess if he represented potential risk to children in
the church’s care while the matter was being investigated. As he was not
involved in the day-to-day operations of the Church at that time, it was
concluded that he did not represent a significant risk to children in the
church’s care. (It should be noted that in situations like this, if a person
is deemed to present a risk to children, it is likely that the person would
be stood down, pending the outcome of an investigation.) ·
In 2004, alleged abuse by Mr Lake was reported on TVNZ’s
Holmes show. The Church attempted to make contact with complainants so that
further action could be taken. The only contact available was through the
Holmes administration. Letters were written and provided to Holmes to forward
to the complainants.
Unfortunately, the
reports have given the appearance that the Church is unsympathetic to the
complainants. This is due, in part, to confusion about the difference between
Presbyterian Support Services Central and Presbyterian Church. Presbyterian
Support Services Central is autonomous of the Presbyterian Church – it
resides in a separate building and has its own management and governance
structures that are unrelated to the Church. Presbyterian Support
Services Central’s relationship to this issue is quite different to that of
the Church and as a result its response is potentially quite different also.
Presbyterian Support Services Central is not accountable to the Church. The Church’s stance has
been deliberate and specific. In all of our dealings we are endeavouring to
offer in the following order: ·
Compassion ·
Sensitivity ·
Transparency ·
Our outrage at substantiated child abuse ·
Robust and confidential investigation ·
Justice for all concerned
We recognise that
Presbyterian Support Services Central has had its own priorities in their
communications. We have no influence over the position that Presbyterian
Support Services Central chooses to take with this (or any other) issue. We
are continuing to work with Presbyterian Support Services Central. If you have any
questions or comments, please email [email protected]
with your thoughts. |
