Educational abuse & Abuse in childcare
Shine Lawyers’ trauma-informed child sexual abuse lawyers are compassionate and can be trusted with your educational abuse claim. Our mental health support team and No Win No Fee* abuse lawyers are ready to help you access justice and right wrong.
Abuse compensation claims for educational abuse
You may have lived with trauma, fear and shame ever since you survived abuse in school, abuse in childcare or abuse by a teacher. You may never have told anyone of your educational abuse or been aware you could be eligible to make a civil abuse compensation claim. Shine Lawyers can help. Making an abuse compensation claim won’t erase what happened to you, but it may be an opportunity:
To hold the educational institution to account
For acknowledgement of what happened to you
For an apology
Compensation for educational abuse may help with the impact it’s had on your life.
Why choose Shine’s child sexual abuse lawyers?
Compassionate lawyers
Shine Lawyers has one of Australia’s largest dedicated Abuse Law teams. We have decades of experience in helping thousands of adults seek justice. Our child sexual abuse lawyers passionately advocate for our clients and are driven to stand up to powerful educational institutions to secure successful outcomes.
No Win No Fee* lawyers
Our dedicated child sexual abuse lawyers can provide expert legal advice, tailored to your situation, on a No Win No Fee* basis. We’ll work with you to build your abuse compensation 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 child sexual 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 a legal expert, or
Speak with our team about your abuse compensation claim options
Where educational abuse can occur
Talking about abuse that happened many years ago can be overwhelming. You may not have shared your story with anyone before. Shine’s mental health support team members work with our expert educational abuse lawyers and help our clients through the process of an abuse compensation claim.
You may have been abused by a teacher in a location away from school, or your educational abuse may have happened:
At school
In school boarding accommodation
During a school-related activity such as a camp, sports event or cultural activity
Alleged abuse in childcare
If your child has been abused in childcare in Australia, you may be eligible to pursue more than one legal claim for compensation.
Abuse in childcare claim for your child
If your child has been abused in childcare anywhere in Australia, get in touch with our dedicated, compassionate child sexual abuse lawyers for advice specific to your situation.
Your child may have attended a Creative Gardens or other childcare centre that employed alleged childcare abuser Joshua Brown between 2017 and 2025. These include:
Creative Gardens Early Learning Centre, Point Cook
Papilio Early Learning, Essendon
Milestones Early Learning, Bundoora
Milestones Early Learning, Greensborough
Milestones Early Learning, Tarneit
You’ll find more information here about the investigation by Victoria Police into Joshua Brown’s alleged abuse in childcare.
Nervous shock claim by parents
Parents of children abused in childcare may be eligible to make a civil compensation claim for nervous shock. Get in touch with our expert abuse lawyers. Strict time limits apply. These times vary between states but are generally within three years of the date of abuse.
Access justice with Shine Lawyers
Whether your abuse compensation claim settles before a court hearing or proceeds to court, your expert, compassionate child sexual abuse lawyers and mental health support team will guide you through the process. We’ll explain what’s happening and help you anticipate what comes next.
Compensation can’t change the past, but it may help you move forward.
Get in touch
To arrange a confidential, obligation-free discussion with our expert, trauma-informed child sexual abuse lawyers.
Educational abuse compensation FAQs
Can you seek compensation if your abuser has died?
Can you seek compensation if your abuser has died?
If you’re a survivor of educational abuse, you may be eligible to make an abuse compensation claim even if your abuser has died.
Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that it takes an average of 24 years for survivors of abuse to tell someone. Your abuser may have died, but the High Court has confirmed that a perpetrator’s death is no reason for abuse compensation claims to be put on hold.
Are there time limits to make an educational abuse claim?
Are there time limits to make an educational abuse claim?
There’s no time limit in Australia for survivors of historical childhood sexual abuse to make an abuse compensation claim once they are an adult.
Parents impacted by abuse in childcare may be eligible to make a nervous shock claim. Strict time limits apply for adult abuse claims, which vary between states but are generally three years from the date the abuse occurred.
Getting support for survivors of child sexual abuse
Getting support for survivors of child 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:
1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732 (sexual assault, domestic and family violence)
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)
