Survivors of abuse in juvenile detention in Australia
Shine Lawyers’ trauma-informed Abuse Law team are compassionate and can be trusted with your juvenile detention historical abuse claim. Our mental health support team and No Win No Fee* abuse lawyers are ready to help you access justice and right wrong.
Australian historical sexual abuse juvenile detention claims
Australian survivors of historical sexual abuse in juvenile detention often live with the devastating life-long impacts of failure to protect them from abuse. When operating a juvenile detention centre, the state acts in a parent or guardian role and has a duty of care to protect children and teens (who have often already experienced trauma).
Shine’s expert, trauma-informed Abuse Law team have deep expertise in building and resolving juvenile detention historical abuse claims. Making a historical abuse claim won’t erase what happened to you, but it may be an opportunity to:
To hold someone (or an institution) to account
For acknowledgement of what happened to you
For an apology
Historical abuse compensation may help with the impact that abuse has had on your life.
Why choose Shine’s historical abuse claim lawyers?
Trusted historical abuse claims lawyers
Shine Lawyers has one of Australia’s largest dedicated Abuse Law teams. We have decades of experience in helping thousands of historical sexual abuse survivors seek justice.
Our historical abuse claims lawyers passionately advocate for our clients and are driven to stand up to powerful institutions to secure successful outcomes.
No Win No Fee*
If you become a Shine Lawyers’ client, our dedicated historical abuse claims lawyers will provide expert legal advice, tailored to your situation, on a No Win No Fee* basis. We’ll work with you to build your historical abuse claim and explain each step of the legal process.
*Conditions apply
Trauma-informed support
We recognise your courage in speaking up. Wherever possible, we’ll work with you to minimise the stress and inconvenience of the legal process.
Our institutional abuse lawyers are trained to work in a trauma-informed way. Our mental health support team can help reduce the trauma of the legal process for both our lawyers and clients. We’ll be with you, every step of the way.
Review your claim with our simple and free online tool.
What we will ask:
Questions to help us understand your experience and how your life has been impacted. Your responses will help us define the best course of action for your claim.
What happens next
Book a confidential, obligation-free appointment with an experienced abuse lawyer, or
Speak with our team about your historical abuse compensation options
Historical sexual abuse in juvenile detention centres
The list of Australian juvenile detention centres that failed in their duty of care and exposed children to historical sexual abuse continues to grow. Some of the well-known juvenile detention centres include:
New South Wales
Daruk Boys’ Home / Daruk Training Centre in Windsor, outer Sydney (closed in 1985)
Mt Penang Juvenile Detention Centre on the Central Coast (closed in 1999)
Victoria
Parkville Youth Residential Centre (1993 – 2021)
Langi Kal Kal Youth Training Centre in Trawalla near Beaufort (closed in 1993)
Malmsbury Youth Training Centre, / Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre (closed in 2023)
South Australia
Northern Territory
Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre / Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in Darwin
Tasmania
Ashley Youth Detention Centre outside Deloraine
Queensland
Brisbane Youth Detention Centre in Wacol, outer Brisbane
Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville
Sir Leslie Wilson Youth Detention Centre in Brisbane (closed in 2001)
A guide on supporting your loved one
We’ve created a conversation guide, to help you support your loved one through their childhood sexual abuse claim. The guide can help you understand the emotional impact of making a claim, a little about the legal process and where you can both find support.
Access justice with Shine Lawyers
Talking about historical sexual abuse can be overwhelming. You may not have shared your story with anyone before. Get in touch today to understand how our experienced historical abuse compensation lawyers can help with your historical abuse claim.
Juvenile detention historical abuse claims FAQs
My juvenile detention centre isn’t listed here, can Shine represent me?
My juvenile detention centre isn’t listed here, can Shine represent me?
If you’re a survivor of historical sexual abuse in a juvenile detention centre in Australia, get in touch with Shine Lawyers. At a challenging and complex time, our expert, compassionate abuse lawyers and mental health support team are invaluable. They have the knowledge, compassion and empathy to help guide your historical abuse claim and support you.
Are there time limits to make a historical abuse claim?
Are there time limits to make a historical abuse claim?
There’s no time limit in Australia for making a historical abuse claim for historical sexual abuse. This means that you may make a civil abuse claim decades after your childhood abuse occurred.
Getting support for historical sexual abuse
Getting support for historical sexual abuse
In an emergency, please call 000. For ongoing professional support for you or your loved one, we suggest contacting any of the following organisations:
13 YARN 13 92 76 (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support)
Blue Knot 1300 657 380 (complex trauma due to abuse, neglect or violence)
Bravehearts free call 1800 272 831 (sexual abuse as a child)
Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention)
