NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour has urged government agencies to effectively cooperate with each other up to national levels to protect children from sex offenders who have been previously convicted for sexual offenses.

The Sydney Morning Herald cited the case of a girl who went through three horrible years of sexual abuse by a convicted child-sex offender, who got a clearance from Community Services to move in with the girl and her mother. The man was subsequently convicted and sent to jail again.

The girl could have been saved from sexual abuse if Community Services had scrutinized the man's records and seen whether it was putting any child at risk with his release.

The Ombudsman's report also highlighted the case of a NSW teacher who was hired by a school in another state not knowing an entire history of sexual misconduct allegations lodged against the man. The history of allegations, some of which were sustained, was known to NSW Police, Community Services and the NSW Commission for Children and Young People but had not been accessible by the school in another state.

Mr. Barbour's report also included the case of a man who was able to hide his criminal records by simply falsifying his birth date on his forms. His criminal record was only revealed after the ombudsman coordinated information exchanges between various agencies.

Under present policies and practices, ''there is no guarantee that high-risk cases of this kind will be appropriately identified and managed'', Mr. Barbour said, stressing, ''This case ... demonstrates the need for a rigorous and consistent national approach.''