Ormond Regional Youth Centre

Ormond Regional Youth Centre has a long history since its original creation as a State-rum home for older children and young people who were wards or in departmental care. It later became a the Ormond Training School for girls and then between 1976 to 1982 it became the Ormond Centre which was a co-educational school for truants. In 1985, Ormond Regional Youth Centre was established by NSW Department of Youth and Community Service at Westleigh in the northern suburbs of Sydney. The Youth Centre occupied the same premises as the Ormond Training School and the Ormond Centre. The purpose of the Youth Center was to provide custodial care to children aged nine to 15 years of age who had been sentenced a by a Court in NSW or who voluntarily entered it.

In 1997, allegations were made that children at Ormond were being sexually abused at the hands of a paedophile network. These allegations were looked at by the NSW Government through the Community Services Commission which published ‘The Ormond Centre - a complaint investigation into institutional care of children, April 1999’. The report included the following from a former manager of Ormond :

‘she found “highly disturbed and very anxious” children living in appalling circumstances when she took up her post. Many of the staff lacked youth training, having been recruited from the CES. They had a custodial mentality and believed in controlling the children, not forming relationships with them. Her child focused philosophy put some “old guard” Ormond staff offside…she also alienated DOCS field officers and managers by her insistence that Ormond was no longer to be a dumping ground.

Ormond was suppose to take challenging young people for three months, settle them down and refer them on to a more satisfactory environment”, she said. “But they used to be left here for a year or even two. Some practices of this Department are atrocious.’

Subsequently, the Centre was closed down in 1998. The 2004 Commonwealth Senate Inquiry by the Community Affairs References Committee in its report - ‘Forgotten Australians’ - also reported allegations of sexual and physical abuse at Ormond Regional Youth Centre on former detainees. One example include the following:

"‘I was about eleven and a half when I ended up in Ormond. Ormond was a regimental place. I was molested there, my memories are of physical abuse. We were still caned and beaten and my hair was cut off and I got a number…I got out of Ormond at 14, I was taught nothing. I knew how to iron and sew but I had not outside social skills, I had low self esteem.’

Moody Law has in the past represented and is still representing clients who were sexually abused within youth detention centres run by the State of New South Wales.

We invite former victims to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

Call us or complete the confidential enquiry form below.