ENSURING that paedophiles found to be abusing children in schools are sent to jail is a factor in how each case is handled, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill says.
In a spirited defence of how the government dealt with a case from 2010, Mr Weatherill said it was important that parents were informed of any allegations.
"If I was a parent in these circumstances and there was somebody who had been a perpetrator in the midst of my children, I would want to know about it," he told state parliament on Wednesday.
But he said it was also important not to jeopardise the chances of a successful prosecution.
"There are things to balance and one of the things we need to balance is to make sure we lock up these people when they perpetrate these evil crimes," Mr Weatherill said.
"One of the factors that bears on your capacity to lock someone up is not to taint the chain of evidence."
The premier's comments came after the government ordered an independent investigation into how education officials handled the case of a man charged with a child sex offence while working at a school care program.
Mark Christopher Harvey was jailed in February for unlawful sexual intercourse with a young girl in 2010 while she was attending his out-of-hours care program at an Adelaide primary school.
Harvey was removed from his position when the charges were brought against him, but a mother of children who also used the care program has since come forward saying parents were never informed of the allegations.
Education Minister Grace Portolesi told parliament on Tuesday the decision not to inform the wider school community followed advice from police.
But police said the principal of the school was told that she should consult with the education department to formulate a method of advising the school community.
"The principal was also advised that it was not the role of the police to inform the school community," a police statement said.
Ms Portolesi said on Wednesday the apparent difference of opinion was a cause for concern.
"That's why I have asked that an independent review investigates and reports to me in relation to this matter," she said.
Ms Portolesi also conceded that it was not mandatory for parents to be informed of any child sex allegations, with each case considered on its individual circumstances.
Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond said getting to the bottom of who said what to whom did not require an independent inquiry.
"It should be capable of resolution within a couple of hours of following the paper trail," she said.
Ms Redmond said the opposition also believed there should be a strict policy of informing all parents at a school where abuse allegations had been raised.
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