National Redress Scheme

What is the National Redress Scheme?

The National Redress Scheme was established by the Commonwealth Government in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The National Redress Scheme provides eligible child sexual abuse survivors with access to:

• counselling
• a direct personal response from institutions responsible for the abuse
• a redress payment.

You can apply for these supports through the National Redress Scheme any time before 30 June 2027.

Redress support services are available throughout NSW to help you if you are applying or thinking about applying to the Scheme.

For information about making an application or to check the status of an application, please contact the National Redress Scheme directly.

How we can help

Victims Services can help individuals who have received an offer through the National Redress Scheme to access counselling or a direct personal response from a NSW Government institution.

Counselling

If you have accepted an offer of redress through the National Redress Scheme, and you live in NSW, Victims Services can help you access up to 22 hours of free counselling. 

To access counselling after accepting your offer, contact Victims Services:

• Call 1800 633 063 (option 5)
• Email vsredress@dcj.nsw.gov.au

Direct personal response

If you have accepted an offer of redress through the National Redress Scheme and the institution responsible is a NSW Government institution, we can help you access a direct personal response. 

This is an opportunity for you to receive an apology from the agency responsible for the harm you experienced as a child.

You can have a support person assist you through this process. This might be a family member, friend, carer or professional worker, such as a counsellor or someone from a redress support service.

To find out more about accessing a direct personal response from a NSW Government institution, contact Victims Services:

• Call 1800 633 063 (option 5)
• Email vsredress@dcj.nsw.gov.au

If a non-government institution was responsible for the abuse, you should contact the National Redress Scheme. They can provide you with the relevant contact details for a direct personal response from that institution.

For more information about direct personal responses, visit the National Redress Scheme’s website.