The review examined system responses to child sexual abuse in Queensland, with a focus on the early childhood education and care sector, police services and the blue card system, using the case of a convicted offender of child sexual abuse as a case study. It made recommendations for improvements needed to the laws, policies, procedures and practices across the early childhood education and care, police and blue card systems.

The report is titled 'In Plain Sight' because those who seek to harm children are too often operating openly in the community, visible to systems, neighbours and institutions, yet unseen for who they truly are and for the risk they pose to children.

The review has confirmed systemic failings in the safeguarding and response to child sexual abuse, and that these raise concerns about the capability and capacity of current systems. The review has delivered 28 recommendations which will now be considered by the Queensland Government, including:

• creating a Child Safeguarding Intelligence Hub
• combining the Reportable Conduct Scheme, Child Safe Standards, and Working with Children Checks under one regulator
• improving justice responses and support for victim-survivor support. 

Key findings

• The review found up to five missed opportunities where one of Australia’s worst paedophiles could have been detected if Queensland had a Reportable Conduct Scheme.
• There were more than 18 points where the offending could have been detected or disrupted earlier, including 5 missed opportunities where action could have been taken to detect or stop the offender, and 13 events that enabled him to remain undetected.
• Queensland is one of the last Australian jurisdictions without a Reportable Conduct Scheme, eight years after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended it.