A Redress Programme for survivors of sexual abuse or serious physical abuse

While redress cannot undo the harm done to Old Boy survivors, the Board is committed to supporting them through an independent Redress Programme.

The Dilworth Redress Programme, which provides for a full redress response including financial redress, is available to any Dilworth Old Boy survivor of sexual or serious physical abuse committed by a Dilworth representative, as well as survivors of sexual abuse committed by another student while at Dilworth.

Families of Old Boy survivors who have died can also make an application for redress.

About the independent Dilworth Redress Programme

The development of the Dilworth Redress Programme has been guided and informed by the interim recommendations from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

From Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui/Holistic Redress.

In developing the proposed Dilworth Redress Programme Terms, the Board completed a comprehensive review of approaches to redress by governments and institutions internationally and consulted with legal and psychological experts in New Zealand as well as experts abroad who have experience in redress schemes.

Dilworth sought feedback on the proposed Dilworth Redress Programme Terms from Old Boy survivors and their legal representatives, others affected by abuse and the wider Dilworth community. This feedback was used to inform the design and development of the Dilworth Redress Programme Terms, which have been finalised by the Redress Panel and will guide their work.

A full description of the Dilworth Redress Programme Terms can be found by clicking the link below.

Dilworth Redress Programme elements

The Dilworth Redress Programme represents a best practice approach covering four key elements: Acknowledgement, Apology, Counselling and Support, and Financial Redress.

Redress will be tailored to each Old Boy survivor as determined by the independent Redress Panel, and may include:

• Access to funded, confidential counselling and psychological services
• A direct personal response from Dilworth, including an apology
• A redress payment
• Other forms of redress which may be requested by the survivor or considered appropriate by the independent Redress Panel.

Fairness and equity for, and between, Old Boy survivors is central to the way the Redress Panel will consider applications from Old Boy survivors.

In the case of financial redress, there is a cap of $200,000 on the level of financial Redress that can be offered by the Panel. When making these determinations, the Redress Panel will consider the nature, extent and impact of the abuse, the individual vulnerability of the survivor, the degree of failure on the part of Dilworth and other aggravating factors. In cases that the Redress Panel believes are truly exceptional when compared to other cases, it is able to award a figure for financial Redress of up to $300,000.

Any engagement with the Dilworth Redress Programme will be confidential. Each Old Boy’s (and their family’s) privacy will be protected from the very start of the process and on an ongoing basis, unless the Old Boy wishes to make their award public.

There is no cost to applicants to register and make an application for redress.

Old Boys (or the families of a deceased Old Boy survivor) can accept the offer of Redress or choose to not do so. They can also concurrently apply for a claim through the Government’s puretumu torowhānui redress scheme that may be introduced as recommended in the He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

Current indications from Government are that its puretumu torowhānui redress scheme may be established in late 2023. We encourage Old Boy survivors to participate in one or both redress programmes based on what feels most appropriate for them.