20. Victims and survivors who were placed in residential care or custodial institutions often described being moved frequently. Morton said that he was sent to almost 20 different care homes.^[1] A lack of warning and explanation exacerbated feelings of instability around placement moves. Victims and survivors thought that this made them more vulnerable to sexual abuse.

21. Some victims and survivors said that their frequent placement moves appeared to facilitate sexual abuse directly. Each time Donald moved to a new custodial institution, he was asked to hand staff a letter. Given how often these staff sexually abused him, Donald felt it was inevitable that whomever he handed the letter to was likely to be his next sexual abuser.^[2]

22. Victims and survivors who were not in care also described how significant life changes, such as moving schools or to a new place, destabilised them. Some victims and survivors felt that the negative impact of significant changes made them more vulnerable to sexual abuse. Charmaine said that her family moved house every year. She thought this transient lifestyle meant that her father could easily hide the fact that he was sexually abusing her.^[3]