The Family Court system has sent children to live with convicted sex offenders in Queensland, a report by child safety group Bravehearts reveals.

The 277-page report, dubbed Abbey's Project in memory of a young girl allegedly driven to suicide by the family court system, examines 15 case studies and calls for a royal commission into the nation's "dysfunctional" system of child protection.

Founder Hetty Johnston said private funding had enabled Bravehearts to compile the report to highlight a system in crisis.

She said many lawyers were reluctant to raise issues of child sexual abuse, because the accusing parent was viewed as vindictive by the Family Court.

"Children are being sent to live with convicted sex offenders," she said.

"This is insane and this is unacceptable so our political leaders have to step up to the plate.

She is pleading with politicians of all persuasions to consider "doing the right thing by Australian children".

"We've produced this report to demand that the Federal Government, no matter who is elected, conduct a royal commission into the family law court system," she said.

"If they're serious about children and they're serious about protecting our families, then we need to have a federal royal commission and we need to unpick this system and find a better way to protect our kids.

"The family law system is failing some of our children and exposing them to further sexual assault and unacceptable risk."

Ms Johnston said the problem spanned the entire system, from the court to child protection agencies and the police.

"Too often [it] means that our children, very young children - six and 10-year-olds - are suicidal, they're harming themselves.

"This is not rare, sadly. The system is not listening to the children and it is not listening to those people who understand normal child development.

"It's not listening to hospitals, it's not listening to doctors, it's not listening to counsellors. It is listening to court-appointed experts and ICLs (independent children's lawyers) who know nothing of child mental health development or child sexual assault."

She said she understood the cost and the impact of a royal commission, but firmly believed the issue warranted a response of that magnitude.

Problems 'too much' for current royal commission

Bravehearts had sought for the problems to be addressed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

It was decided the issues would have add too much to the royal commission's already massive agenda.

"But that doesn't make this problem go away," Ms Johnston said.

"This is not anyone in particular's fault, this is a system that is dysfunctional."

She said the system could work so much better, but it needed to be reinvented.

Loading...