Why join?

A benefit for a named institution choosing to join the National Redress Scheme includes being released from any potential future civil claims relating to abuse for which they are found responsible by the Scheme and where the applicant has accepted the offer of redress.

My institution has been named

The Scheme understands receiving a notification that your institution has been named in one or more applications can be unexpected and distressing. It is important to note there is no presumption that your institution is responsible for abuse detailed in any redress applications. If you choose to join the National Redress Scheme, further information will be collected from your institution to verify the application, so that it can be considered by the Independent Decision Maker.

The National Redress Scheme will work closely with you to answer any questions or queries you may have and ensure you are provided with the necessary information to make an informed decision moving forward. The Scheme will assist your institution through the onboarding process and confirm your institution meets the Scheme’s legislative requirements.

An institution can contact the National Redress Scheme directly for further information to support the onboarding process by emailing redressinstitutions@dss.gov.au

How to join?

If your institution has been named in an application the Scheme will send you a notification asking you to join the Scheme. If your institution has not been named in application and would like to know more about the Scheme and the steps required to join, you can contact redressinstitutions@dss.gov.au for further information.

If named in an application, your institution will be provided a 6 month onboarding deadline from the date of first formal contact with the Scheme. The Scheme is survivor-focused, and the time frames have been set to enable an applicant to receive an outcome as soon as possible after submitting an application.

Your institution will be assigned a Relationship Manager, who will be your first point of contact in the Scheme, and can provide information and consult with specialised members of the Scheme to answer specific, technical questions regarding finance or legislation. Your Relationship Manager will work through the process step-by-step with you to ensure timely response to all requirements. Some of the steps required to join the scheme include:

• providing a written commitment to participate
• confirming your institution’s participating structure
• providing a list of current and historic physical locations
• completing onboarding training provided by the Scheme
• demonstrate the capacity to pay for redress and to deliver direct personal responses.

Once this process is completed, your institution will be advised if you meet the legal requirements to participate in the Scheme. You will be asked if you wish to continue to the onboarding stage to participate.

After all onboarding steps are completed, the Minister for Social Services will make a Declaration that the institution is participating in the Scheme.

Decline to join

Should an institution that has been named in an application choose not to join the Scheme within the 6 month timeframe, the Government has introduced financial consequences, with the aim of encouraging institutions to join the Scheme.

These consequences include:

• being publicly named on the National Redress Scheme website as a non-participating institution
• being restricted from accessing future Commonwealth Government grant funding. A decision will be made at the 8 year review of the Scheme to determine if this will be a permanent sanction
• risk losing their charitable status and associated tax concessions and benefits if applicable.

There is a growing trend in publicly named institutions becoming the focus of adverse scrutiny of community members in mainstream and social media when choosing to not participate in the Scheme. This public attention reflects community sentiment about non-participation in the Scheme as an outward facing sign the organisation does not take child protection and child safety seriously.

It is important to note survivors who have applied to the Scheme often choose to do so as it is a more trauma informed process than a potential lengthy traumatic civil action. Redress enables the survivor to seek a Direct Personal Response and access to counselling and psychological care support. When institutions choose to not participate, survivor application/s do not progress, and a determination is unable to be made and access to these supports is not available.

What are the costs?

There are no upfront costs to joining the Scheme. Engaging with the Scheme and providing information will require staffing/administration time.

An institution will only be required to make a payment under the Scheme if an application for redress is made against it, deemed by the Independent Decision Maker as responsible and the applicant accepts and receives the offer of redress.