“We can do better”: Childcare leaders call for reform after shocking allegations

Content warning: The following piece contains distressing information.

Last week, former childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was charged with sexually abusing eight children in his care by Victoria Police. The announcement of the investigation sent ripples throughout the industry, as centres and larger childcare companies reckoned with a public looking for changes – and a state government considering a system-wide review. 

Brown was charged with more than 70 sex offences involving children at a centre in Melbourne's west, operated by early childhood education and care provider G8 Education.

Police arrested him in May and released a list of 20 childcare facilities he worked at across Melbourne from January 2017 to May of this year.

What needs to change?

Burwood House Early Learning Centre director Jo Rodrigo told the Eastern Melburnian the team was looking at how to change its processes in the wake of the allegations.

“I think we can definitely do better as a sector,” she said.

“All the directors from our company are coming together on Friday to discuss it with our approved provider to hopefully provide some changes that can definitely strengthen us moving forward.”

Rodrigo said it had been a concerning time for parents, who were curious about how they would refine their safety procedures.

“There’s been no direct concerns about any of our educators because our team has been quite a permanent team for a while, so we don’t have a rotating pool of casuals,” she said.

“Having those strong relationships with our children and families is always a great place to start.”

Rodrigo said these allegations pointed to the need for a system-wide review.

“I’ve been working in early childhood education for about 10 years now,” she said.

“I think it’s definitely a systematic failure and the systems and the processes need to change.

“It’s not just at the service level, but at the government level.”

Currently, the National Quality Framework, which was last reviewed in 2019, as well as the Children’s Services Act 1996, sets out the minimum child to educator ratio, which are:

• One educator for every four children from birth to 36 months;

• One educator for every 11 children up to and including preschool age; and

• One educator for every 15 children over preschool age.

Rodrigo said the ratios should be lowered further and more standards introduced, including making sure nappy changes are supervised.

“Our ratios need to be changed from 1:4, to a lower ratio, so there’s never opportunities for educators to be alone in rooms with children,” she said.

“Working with Children checks need to be done the same way across the board.

“Childcare standards need to be across all the states, not just in certain states.”

What will G8 Education do to improve its services?

G8 Education operates more than 400 centres across the country, including centres at Bayswater, Boronia, Heathmont, Park Orchards, Croydon North and Wantirna South.

In a media statement, G8 Education chief executive Pejman Okhovat said he was “deeply sorry” for the pain being felt by victims and their families.

“Our primary focus right now is on supporting all families who are impacted, as well as our team members in Victoria,” he said.

“My team and I have met personally with families in Victoria and will continue to be available. 

“We have also provided confidential counselling and support through G8 Education’s dedicated provider.”

G8 Education has pledged to take additional actions to ensure the safety of all children at their centres, including the installation of CCTV across all of their centres and expanding individual learning plans to give parents the choice over who supports their child’s personal care routines. The company will also conduct an independent review into the incident following the conclusion of all criminal proceedings.

What will the Victorian Government do?

In a media statement, Premier Jacinta Allan said the Victorian Government would commission an urgent review into child safety in early childhood education and care settings as well as the Working with Children Check in Victoria.

“The review will report back to the Government on Friday 15 August – and we will adopt every recommendation of the review and implement them as quickly as possible,” she said.

“While this rapid review is underway, we are also taking urgent action to stop the use of personal devices in childcare centres, with every centre required to adopt a ban on personal devices by Friday 26 September – or face consequences including potential fines of $50,000 if they breach the license.

“We are also imminently establishing a register of early childhood educators to track employment history and patterns.”

For support, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028.

Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis line is available at 131 114.

Contact Bravehearts for support and counselling for survivors of child sexual abuse at 1800 272 831.

Image Credit: Sandy Millar/Unsplash