Today RCH CEO Professor Christine Kilpatrick will appear before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to focus on the hospital’s current systems, policies and procedures for preventing, detecting and responding to child sexual abuse.

Yesterday former RCH Chief Executive Dr John De Campo has told the Royal Commission about the steps taken to dismiss a volunteer accused of sexually abusing a 12 year old patient – but says organisations charged with caring for vulnerable children should always strive to do more.

Appearing before the Commission today, Dr De Campo said he moved quickly to identify, and then stand down, volunteer Harry Peuschel in 1997, after receiving an initially anonymous complaint from a former patient.

Dr De Campo told the Commission that he was satisfied he acted properly in removing the child sex abuser immediately, and in then referring the matter to Victoria Police within nine days. But he acknowledged the former patient appeared not to have received emails confirming these outcomes, and said this failing was a source of “sadness”.

The witness, ‘AWI’, told the Commission she was abused on multiple occasions by volunteer Harry Peuschel after being admitted to the RCH in 1981 with severe asthma. AWI said she was abused by a second volunteer in a separate incident.

Harry Peuschel has since died. The identity of the second abuser is not known.

“To listen to her (AWI’s) sad story this morning is the result of poor care at the hospital. It’s a small thing to say sorry for that…but I sincerely apologise,” Dr De Campo told the Commission.

“The hospital’s reputation depends on its actions, and not on hiding things. The hospital rightly has a good reputation because it’s honest about what it does, and tries to do better.”

If you, your child or a member of your family has questions about these matters, please let us know so that we can work together to address your concerns. In the first instance, you can write to us at consumer.liaison@rch.org.au

If you or someone you know has experienced child sexual abuse in any institutional context, we encourage you contact the Victorian Police Sano Task Force on 1800 110 007 or via email: sanotaskforce@police.vic.gov.au

If you want to report a child in immediate risk or danger of sexual abuse please call Triple Zero (000) or contact your local police station.