Content warning: This communication contains information of a highly sensitive nature that may be distressing for some people.
Dear parents and carers,
Below is an open letter from the Deputy Secretary of Schools and Regional Services, Dept of Education, Dr David Howes.
This letter contains information of a highly sensitive nature and may be distressing for some people. Its contents is a response to the recent State Government review into historical cases of sexual abuse in schools.
I am writing to you from the Department of Education about a matter that has caused great harm to individuals and families, that of child sexual abuse.
The Department of Education recently completed a review of legal claims relating to historical sexual abuse in government schools across Victoria that occurred before the year 2000.
This was so the department could understand and share information with the community about historic cases of sexual abuse.
The intended outcomes of this work was to be more open about this issue with school communities and to better understand what happened in the past so we can ensure we are doing all we can to ensure all students now enrolled in Victorian government schools are safe.
The report that was written is now available on online here (Systemic Review into Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Victorian Government Schools).
The reason I am sharing this on our website is that Cranbourne Secondary College (formally Cranbourne High School) is one of the 201 schools mentioned in the report as schools one or more former students reported that they were abused by a former staff member when they were a student in the past.
I want to emphasise this report is about abuse that happened before the year 2000; it is not about any current child safety concerns at Cranbourne Secondary College, and it does not relate to any current teachers in Victorian government schools.
The Victorian government has also released a related report from a forum that was set up to enable victim-survivors of sexual abuse in Victorian government schools to tell their story. The forum created a public record of those experiences that is available online (see: Forum for Truth and Recognition), together with the Victorian government’s response to both the forum and the review I referred to earlier, which is available online here: (response).
Schools are, and always should have been, a place where children deserve to be safe. It is wrong that this has not always been the case.
The Premier of Victoria will formally apologise to victims and survivors who experienced child sexual abuse in government schools. The Apology will take place in Parliament on Thursday 30 July 2026. For more information on the Apology and livestream events, visit: Parliamentary Apology to victim-survivors.
As the Department of Education, we are committed to doing all we can to ensure our schools are places of safety, security and belonging for all our students.
One way in which we can do that is by creating a culture where children and parents and carers feel safe to speak up about any concerns.
A good starting point is to become familiar with our school’s child safety policies on our website. If you have any feedback on these policies or ideas about child safety, please contact the College.
There are also some great resources for parents and carers on how to discuss these issues with children on the National Office for Child Safety’s website:
- One Talk at a Time | National Office for Child Safety
- Having conversations | National Office for Child Safety
Anyone who has experienced any form of abuse as a student at a Victorian government school can report it to the department and Victoria Police.
This helps hold perpetrators to account and ensures that victim-survivors can access the support they need and deserve. For further information about reporting, visit: Report child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools/vic.gov.au.
The department also has a webpage for former students who experienced child sexual abuse by an adult in a government school: Victim-survivor support for former students | vic.gov.au.
Thank you for reading this message. I understand that this topic can be very distressing and can trigger a range of emotions that will impact people in different ways. There is a list of community resources at the end of this message.
If you have any questions about the reports or the apology, you can contact the department’s Restorative Engagement and Support team:
- email: rest@education.vic.gov.au
- phone: (03) 9057 4500.
Yours sincerely
Dr David Howes
Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services
Department of Education