Salvation Army refused to believe child abuse complaints, commission told
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Version 0 of 1. She was giving evidence at a hearing into how the Salvation Army Eastern Territory responded to allegations of child abuse at two homes in Queensland and two in NSW. Both said they decided to leave when a boy had his arm dislocated during a beating by McIver. They reported the assault to Queensland children's department social worker Jan Doyle, who visited the home regularly. Both witnesses said their complaints had been ignored by high-ranking officers. "I think that there was this feeling that was expressed more by a sigh or a look or maybe even a side word that these complaints couldn't have been real, they were just attempts at money-grabbing," she said. Randall, who is part of the army's royal commission liaison group, said that attitude had changed and now the whole process was "geared towards trying to find a way to help people". She said no processes and procedures were in place in the 1970s. "We did not know it was as bad as it was and probably most Salvationists would be in shock, even today, to know that it's as bad as it was," she said. |