Progress updates
On 19 June 2024, the Victorian Government released its response to the Board of Inquiry, accepting all recommendations.
The information below outlines the implementation progress to date. We'll keep updating this information until all recommendations are in place.
Parliamentary Apology
The Victorian Government will apologise to victims and survivors, their loved ones and communities affected by child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools on 30 July 2026.
Visit the Parliamentary Apology webpage for more information, and to register your interest in attending an apology event.
Forum for Truth and Recognition
The Victorian Government established the independent Forum for Truth and Recognition for people who have experienced child sexual abuse in Victorian Government schools and certain non-government schools prior to the year 2000 to share their experiences in a safe environment, and contribute to an important public record.
The Forum has concluded and the Chair of the Forum, Angela Connors, delivered her report to the Premier of Victoria on 29 May 2026. Thank you to everyone who participated in this important process.
The experiences shared with the Forum will be an important step to help Victoria build a better shared understanding of the lifelong and far-reaching impacts of child sexual abuse.
The Victorian Government will publish this report in mid-2026.
For more information, visit the Forum for Truth and Recognition website.
Systemic review of historical child sexual abuse matters
Alongside the Forum for Truth and Recognition, the Department of Education reviewed civil claims relating to historical child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools between 1950 and 1999 to understand patterns of offending and historical institutional failings.
The Systemic Review was overseen by Independent Monitor, Julia Griffith, to ensure the review was conducted in accordance with the Terms of Reference.
A report on the Systemic Review was provided to the Minister for Education on 31 March 2026. The Victorian Government will publish this report, alongside the report from the Forum for Truth and Recognition in mid 2026.
Memorial acknowledging historical sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School
Following extensive research and consultation on memorialisation, the Department of Education is undertaking a co-design process for the location and form of a memorial acknowledging historical child sexual abuse at Beaumaris Primary School.
The department has engaged expert independent facilitators to work with victim-survivors from Beaumaris Primary School, their loved ones, and other affected community members to determine the location, physical form and final design of the memorial.
The department would like to thank all former students currently working with us on this important co-design process – for their time, generosity, and care for both former and current students.
Consistent policy guidance for schools on memorials
The Department of Education has consulted with victim-survivors, schools, and other relevant community members to develop policy guidance that will apply to requests for memorials acknowledging historical child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools.
Based on feedback from schools and victim-survivors, the content on memorials forms part of a broader new policy to support principals respond to disclosure and reports of historical child sexual abuse at their schools.
This new policy and guidance was published in December 2025 and is publicly available for Victorian government schools on the Department of Education’s Policy and Advisory Library.
Restorative Engagement Program
The Board of Inquiry identified restorative engagement as best practice for supporting victim-survivors to safely share their experience of child sexual abuse and receive a meaningful personal acknowledgement from a senior representative from the Department of Education through a structured process.
In response, the department consulted with victim-survivors, academics, industry experts and others with experience in coordinating, facilitating and delivering redress programs for victim-survivors of abuse.
In December 2025 the department launched a personal acknowledgement and apology process for victim-survivors of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools who wish to engage in a restorative process directly with the department, without the need to apply for the National Redress Scheme or engage in a legal claim.
The personal acknowledgement will be facilitated by experienced, trauma-informed practitioners, who are independent of the department, and guided by principles of doing no further harm, working collaboratively with people, and restoring relationships.
For more information, see Personal acknowledgment and apologies for victim-survivors.
Improvements to information access and records management
The Department of Education has made substantial progress on collecting and cataloguing school records, and digitising historic records, to support ease of access. Trauma-informed training has been delivered to all records archivists and staff in Freedom of Information and other relevant units.
In December 2025, the department published a new website providing trauma-informed information on how to find and request access to school records held by the department. The website also features a searchable directory of all open and closed Victorian government schools (approximately 6,000), and background information on how school records are created and managed over time and why some school’s records are not available.
Explore the new website: School Records
Victim-survivor support website and telephone line
The Department of Education established the Report sexual abuse if you’re a current or former student website and telephone line in July 2023 for victim-survivors of child sexual abuse in government schools to access initial assistance and support.
The website has since undergone a significant redesign to improve victim-survivor access to information and support specific to their needs. It includes information on counselling supports, reporting, seeking compensation, personal acknowledgement and apologies, accessing school records and more.
Explore the updated website Victim-survivor support for former students.
Access to tailored support and service responses for adult victim-survivors of child sexual abuse
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) and Sexual Assault Services Victoria (SASVic), the peak body for specialist sexual assault support services, are implementing a coordination, navigation and advocacy function for adult victim-survivors of child sexual abuse. The function will be piloted in two DFFH regions – Southern Melbourne and Gippsland – and delivered via a partnership approach by a specialist sexual assault support service and an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation.
The function will deliver support to assist victim-survivors to engage with and move between services and systems and connect them in with their broader community networks. It will complement supports already provided by existing specialist sexual assault services and seek to enhance collaboration across service systems to better coordinate timely access to support. The design of the function will take place between the selected providers, victim-survivors, SASVic, and other key groups, and will be tailored to the local community’s needs.
DFFH is also working with SASVic to update public-facing information on sexual assault support services to grow awareness that services are available for and responsive to people of all genders. DFFH is currently designing options for a best practice peer support model for victim-survivors of sexual violence, and will undertake consultations with victim-survivors and other relevant stakeholders to inform the model’s design.
Legislative reform to protect personal information provided in future boards of inquiry
The Victorian Government is analysing options for legislative reform for protection of records shared with boards of inquiry and other types of inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2014.
Community consultation
Some key consultation activities undertaken to date include:
- establishment of the new Restorative Engagement and Support team within the Department of Education to lead a structured, supportive consultation process to support implementation of a number of the reforms arising from the Board of Inquiry’s recommendations.
- formation of a Community Reference Group, including members with lived and living experience of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools, as well as sector advocates, providers and experts, to inform the broad range of consultation and co-design activities.
- conducting an anonymous survey on the Engage Victoria website to help understand community views about several of the Board of Inquiry’s recommendations. The insights and experiences shared through this process have informed the department’s implementation of these recommendations and progress towards meaningful and enduring reform within the education system. For an overview of the survey findings, see the final report.
- hosting a range of in-person community consultations with victim-survivors and their loved ones or former classmates impacted by historical sexual abuse at Beaumaris Primary School to understand what a process towards an acknowledgement and a memorial might mean to them.
- consultation with victim-survivors, loved ones and supporters on the words and meaning of the Victorian Government’s apology in Parliament to make sure it reflects victim survivor experiences, acknowledges the harm caused, and speaks with honesty and respect.
- individual meetings and conversations between the Department of Education and people with lived experience and other expertise to help inform and shape implementation of the reforms the department is responsible for.
The Department of Education would like to thank all those who have contributed to our consultation processes and played a critical role in shaping the implementation of the reforms recommended by the Board of Inquiry.
Provide feedback
If you have any feedback about what is on this page or if you need more information or support please email the Department of Education’s Restorative Engagement and Support team (REST) at rest@education.vic.gov.au.
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