Abuse Law – Institutions – Ormond Regional Youth Centre, NSW

In 1997, allegations were made that children at Ormond Regional Youth Centre were being sexually abused at the hands of a paedophile network. These allegations were investigated by the New South Wales Government through the Community Services Commission. The Community Services Commission later published ‘The Ormond Centre – a complaint investigation into institutional care of children, April 1999’. The report included the following from a former manager of Ormond Regional Youth Centre:

…she found “highly disturbed and very anxious” children living in appalling circumstances when she took up her post. Many of the staff lacked youth training, having been recruited from the CES. They had a custodial mentality and believed in controlling the children, not forming relationships with them. Her child focused philosophy put some “old guard” Ormond staff offside…she also alienated DOCS field officers and managers by her insistence that Ormond was no longer to be a dumping ground.

Ormond was suppose to take challenging young people for three months, settle them down and refer them on to a more satisfactory environment”, she said. “But they used to be left here for a year or even two. Some practices of this Department are atrocious.