Poorly coordinated services delaying treatment of child sex abuse victims

HEALTH professionals have highlighted a delay in treating child sex abuse victims because of a lack of coordination among health and justice authorities.

A conference on how different state systems were impacting on already vulnerable children heard calls for a joined-up approach to interviewing and helping child sex abuse victims.

Minister for Children Barry Andrews also told the conference that he had been informed of cases where lawyers for alleged abusers had used ‘anomalies’ in treating children to defend suspected perpetrators.