Redeemer Baptist School in Sydney, which was banned from caring for foster children due to safety concerns in 1981, has been flagged nearly two dozen times since 2004 for suspected significant harm to children but has never received an on-site inspection by authorities. The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) confirmed receiving 15 risk-of-significant-harm notifications involving the school’s students yet conducted no face-to-face assessments, relying instead on phone consultations and referrals to other agencies. Former staff and students have alleged various forms of abuse within the school environment, prompting calls for the government to reassess its classification of the institution as safe despite the church's assertions otherwise.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In NSW, the Redeemer Baptist School in North Parramatta has been under scrutiny for failing to protect children, with 15 reports of significant risk to students dating back to 2004. Despite these serious allegations, including physical and emotional abuse, the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) did not conduct any face-to-face investigations at the school. Instead, they relied solely on phone assessments and referrals to other agencies to clear child welfare reports, even though NSW law mandates on-the-ground checks when children are at risk of significant harm. The revelations highlight systemic failures in child protection mechanisms within the state, raising serious questions about the adequacy of current oversight practices for private schools.
Written for “Child Protection Failures” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
A Sydney private school run by a church banned from caring for children was flagged nearly two dozen times in reports that children were suspected of being put at risk of significant harm, but has never been visited by authorities, new documents reveal.
asserted
documents → run → authorities
A parliamentary inquiry into Redeemer Baptist School in Parramatta – triggered by a joint investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes – has revealed multiple failings in the state’s child protection agencies.
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inquiry → trigger → agencies
The reports detailed allegations that the acclaimed school denies teachers wages and enforces extreme control over members, dictating student’s underwear choices and forcing children to live with staff.
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school → detail → staff
Former staff and students told the ongoing inquiry they suffered sexual, physical, emotional and spiritual abuse, urging the government to classify the school and its associated church as a system of group-based coercive control.
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they → tell → control
Some alleged in the inquiry it was a cult.
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it → allege → inquiry
In answers to questions on notice, the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) revealed it had received 15 risk of significant harm (ROSH) notifications involving children from the school since 2004 but not a single report ever triggered an on-the-ground, face-to-face field assessment.
Instead, the department relied on phone assessments and referrals to other agencies to clear child welfare reports at the school, despite whistleblowers and former students alleging systemic control, abuse and forced communal living.
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whistleblowers → reveal → control
Under NSW law, a child is deemed at risk of significant harm if there are safety or welfare concerns for a number of reasons, including assault, sexual abuse, psychological harm and neglect.
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child → deem → assault
The DCJ declined to confirm under which categories the ROSH reports fell, confirming only that they involved children enrolled at the school.
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they → decline → school
It follows revelations by this masthead that in 1981, Redeemer Baptist Church was banned from providing out-of-home care for foster children due to concerns over isolation and family separation.
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Church → follow → isolation
At least 50 children, some of whom gave evidence to the inquiry, have lived on the school grounds, including in elders’ homes.
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some → give → homes
The ban followed the case of Elizabeth Bradbury, who said she was dragged by her hair by members who limited her access to her biological mother.
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who → follow → mother
Despite the ban, state educational authorities granted the community school registration and accreditation two years later.
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authorities → grant → registration
Asked if the Department of Youth and Community Services, now the DCJ, ever notified education authorities of the ban, executive director of child protection Nicholas Backo said the department could not confirm due to the age of the records.
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department → ask → records
A spokesperson for Redeemer Baptist School said the institution took its child safety obligations extremely seriously and held an “unblemished record of compliance with both state and federal regulators” over its 45-year history.
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institution → say → history
The spokesperson said the school and church were “separate entities and should not be conflated” – a claim repeatedly contested in submissions made to the inquiry.
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school → say → inquiry
“Redeemer Baptist School and Redeemer Baptist Church were inseparable,” one former student wrote in submissions to the inquiry.
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student → write → inquiry
Another submitted there was “no meaningful distinction between spiritual authority, educational authority and community authority”.
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Another → submit → authority
In a statement, a Redeemer community spokesperson said that while there were “differences of view” regarding foster care placement models in the early 1980s, its relationship with the DCJ has “remained co-operative”, and the department later resumed placements with Redeemer families.
However, historical records show that in 1983 only a single exception was made allowing a previously placed child to remain with two parents in the church community, on the condition the community not be used for future substitute care placements.
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community → say → placements
In its responses, the DCJ confirmed there was no evidence the ban was ever revoked, noting a subsequent request by Redeemer to overturn the decision was declined.
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request → confirm → decision
Asked whether the 1981 ban surfaced during later child protection reports, Backo said the DCJ has since taken steps to merge legacy databases into its current system, though some historical records remain accessible only via the state’s record-keeping regulator.
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records → ask → regulator
The Aporia
