Summary

This volume is the introduction to the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The report represents the culmination of the five-year inquiry into institutional responses to child sexual abuse and related matters. It presents the findings and recommendations of the Royal Commission. It also documents the experiences of people affected by child sexual abuse in an institutional context.

The volume outlines the circumstances that led Australian governments to determine there was a need for a national inquiry. It describes the establishment of the Royal Commission, the scope of the inquiry and its key considerations, as provided by the Terms of Reference.

The volume also outlines the purpose of the report as a whole, its intended audiences and how the Royal Commission integrated population-specific issues throughout. It includes a discussion of key terms used in this report, and the Final Report Glossary containing a comprehensive list of terms, which follows the appendices.

The volume describes how the Royal Commission went about their task and the three pillars of the inquiry: hearings; private sessions; and policy and research. Finally, the volume describes the structure of the report, and how the report and related materials may be accessed online.

More detailed information about the Royal Commission, how it operated and its publications is contained in appendices to this volume:

• Appendix A provides the Letters Patent
• Appendix B provides further information about the finances involved
• Appendix C outlines the case studies examined at public hearing
• Appendix D provides a summary of policy consultations, including issues papers, consultation papers and public and private roundtables
• Appendix E provides a summary of prior publications of the Royal Commission, including earlier reports, research publications and case study reports
• Appendix F describes the research themes
• Appendix G describes the model for supporting staff wellbeing
• Appendix H is a list of staff of the Office of the Royal Commission
• Appendix I details other major government inquiries and reports relevant to the work of this inquiry.

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