The Child Safety Reform Implementation Monitor Robert Benjamin AM KC has published the Implementation Framework that will guide the work of his office over its 10-year lifespan.
The Framework document outlines the approach to the Monitor’s independent oversight of child safety reform in Tasmania and comes one year after Mr Benjamin was appointed to the role.
The role itself was created through one recommendation (22.1) of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings (COI).
A series of inquiries has found children have not always been safe in Tasmanian institutions, and the government has committed to broad-scale reform to better protect children from harm.
In total, 366 accepted recommendations from the following inquiries fall within scope of the Implementation Monitor’s work:
- The COI (2023)
- Accepted but not yet implemented recommendations from the national Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2017)
- The Independent Inquiry into the Department of Education’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2021)
- The Child Safe Governance Review of the Launceston General Hospital and Human Resources (2022)
- The Weiss Independent Review into Paul Reynolds (2024).
“The Framework sets out how my office will monitor, review and evaluate the government’s implementation of these recommendations,” Mr Benjamin said.
“This work is public facing, outcomes focused and designed to drive transparency. It shows step by step how I will undertake this unique role, including my reporting to the community on the progress and completion of all recommendations, and the effectiveness of the changes.”
Mr Benjamin’s approach to monitoring reform progress aims to:
- - Help prevent child sexual abuse and keep children safe
- - Improve how institutions respond to child sexual abuse
- - Help support children who have experienced abuse.
These aims inform the Implementation Framework, which includes the tools, timelines, standards and data the Office of the Implementation Monitor (OIM) will use to assess progress over time.
Mr Benjamin thanked the many stakeholders, including victim-survivors, who assisted with the Framework’s development and helped identify risks, gaps and challenges to the oversight process.
The Framework will be refined in coming years to ensure it remains fit for purpose.
For more information go to: https://oim.tas.gov.au/implementation-framework
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*some people may find the Implementation Framework difficult to read. Support is available.