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IICSA published its final Report in October 2022. This website was last updated in January 2023.

IICSA Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Child Migration Programmes Investigation Report

2.8 The Church of England Advisory Council for Empire Settlement

1. The Church of England Advisory Council on Empire Settlement (CEACES) was a part of the Church of England devoted to managing the Church of England’s participation in the child migration programmes. It had a logistical and information-providing role in the child migration programmes, coordinating the migration of children to affiliated institutions in Australia.

2.8.1 What was the role of the CEACES in child migration? 

2. From 1947-1965, the CEACES was responsible for migrating 408 children to Australia. In common with other Church of England organisations, CEACES saw migration both as a means to benefit the children and an opportunity to strengthen the church’s presence in Australia.[1] The CEACES did not manage any childcare institutions but provided information/logistical services that facilitated migration, in response to block nominations sent from Church of England-affiliated institutions in Australia.[2] The CEACES migrated children to Church of England institutions in Australia, such as Clarendon in Tasmania and various Swan Homes.[3]

3. The Inquiry heard no evidence from a former CEACES child migrant alleging sexual abuse, but the experts have identified two such allegations,[4] and our table of further accounts includes six allegations of abuse at Swan Homes,[5] to which the CEACES migrated children.

2.8.2 What did the CEACES know about alleged sexual abuse of its child migrants?

4. The Inquiry has seen no evidence that CEACES was informed of allegations or evidence, during the migration period, of the sexual abuse of child migrants.[6]

2.8.3 Did the CEACES take sufficient care to protect its child migrants from sexual abuse?

Selection

5. A 1953 memorandum indicates that after children had been referred to the CEACES (about which process little is known), they were subjected to a reasonably thorough interviewing and screening process, which included interviews of their parents. From 1958, the CEACES’ policy was that where a child had a living parent, that child would only be accepted for migration if the parent had also been accepted for migration and would follow the child.[7] 

Supervision/aftercare

6. It appears that the CEACES delegated supervisory responsibility to local Church of England-affiliated committees or to the institutions themselves.[8] There is some evidence of reporting about CEACES-migrated children sent back to the CS.[9]

Inspection and reporting

7. The CEACES appears to have carried out one inspection, conducted by its Secretary Ms Jones in 1955 and 1956. What information exists about her findings suggests that they were uniformly positive: she visited every home and was satisfied with what she saw. However, her views were at odds with the findings of the Ross Mission, which was conducting its inspections at around the same time, and which was critical of some of the homes.[10]

Based on the evidence available, there are concerns about whether the CEACES’ inspection and reporting processes were robust.

2.8.4 Post-migration matters

8. The CEACES no longer exists. The Inquiry has not seen any evidence relevant to the issue of support and reparations for former child migrants in respect of CEACES. 

References

Footnotes

  1. EWM000460_002-003.
  2. Constantine 11 July 2017 137/4-13; EWM000460_003-005.
  3. Constantine 11 July 2017 137/3-13.
  4. EWM000460_007.
  5. INQ001259.
  6. EWM000460 para 3.10.
  7. EWM000460_003.
  8. EWM000460_005.
  9. Constantine 11 July 2017 138/2-9.
  10. EWM000460_005-006.
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