Rotherham abuse case raises questions over Victorian education official
|
Version 0 of 1. The appointment of the former director of children’s services in the English town of Rotherham, where 1,400 children were sexually exploited, to a senior position in Victoria’s education department was challenged during parliamentary question time on Tuesday. Victoria’s deputy opposition leader James Merlino asked education minister Martin Dixon about background checks undertaken on Dr Sonia Sharp before her appointment to deputy secretary of Victoria’s education department in 2012. Sharp ran Rotherham’s children’s services department for three of the 16 years during which the gang rape, trafficking and exploitation of children in the South Yorkshire town occurred. “How on earth did Dr Sharp’s role in a systematic cover-up that allowed children to be raped, trafficked and abused by men in the UK not disqualify her from a senior job in [the education] department, earning up to $300,000 per year?” Merlino asked. Dixon said the recruitment process for Sharp’s role had been carried out with integrity and according to process. “The secretary has assured me of the integrity of that process of recruitment carried out according to all the processes that would be expected in the position of secretary,” Dixon said. “The issues of child exploitation in England were absolutely abhorrent. It is just a shocking abuse of children carried out over a number of years.” Merlino also questioned if Sharp was responsible for policies implemented by the department to handle cases of child abuse, which were later the subject of a Victorian inquiry. “My secretary has read right through the report and reviewed the finding of the report and the secretary is satisfied no direct finding has been made against Dr Sharp, nor has there been any direct criticism of the programs associated with Dr Sharp,” Dixon replied. Last week Richard Bolt, the secretary of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, defended the appointment of Sharp and described her as an “outstanding leader”. “I have no doubt that Sonia tackled the issue of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham with maximum commitment, professionalism and focus,” he said in a statement. “In the report there are numerous references to important changes made under Sonia’s management that led to sustained and systemic improvement. There is considerable evidence not included in the report, which reinforces my view.” Sharp released a statement of her own amid calls for her to quit, saying she took some responsibility for what had occurred in Rotherham. “You can’t be a director of children’s services and not take responsibility for what happens to children,” she said. “I am sorry that these children and young people suffered terrible abuse and I wish we could have done more to prevent the abuse of children and young people in Rotherham.” |