What survivors of child sexual abuse taught me about child safety, grace and the work of being sorry

In December 2017, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse submitted its final report, making 409 recommendations to better protect children against sexual abuse and alleviate the impact of abuse on children when it occurs. Many of those recommendations have now been implemented, and improvements have been made to child protection systems across Australia, but the present article argues that there is no room for complacency. Drawing on the experiences and insights of survivors, in the context of making apologies on behalf of institutions, this article highlights the importance of practitioner responses and focus on maintaining and strengthening effective family- and community-based networks of safety.