Latest news with #AustralianChildhoodFoundation
The Advertiser
04-07-2025
- The Advertiser
Families' fearful wait to learn alleged abuser's moves
Authorities have been accused of dropping the ball in their failure to disclose an alleged child abuser's full work history as police dig into his past. Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with more than 70 sex offences after allegedly abusing eight children aged under two at a childcare facility at Point Cook, in Melbourne's southwest. The 26-year-old worked in at least 20 centres since 2017, for which a list and set of dates have already been made public. But Victoria Police said they were continuing to investigate further details of his employment history as a matter of priority after parents reported discrepancies in the listed dates. "We understand that many in the community are feeling concerned and anxious, however it is incredibly important that this information is confirmed, then thoroughly reviewed with other relevant agencies prior to any public release," a police spokeswoman said. Childcare operator Affinity Education, which operates several facilities where Brown worked, is reviewing its records following reports he might have been employed longer than first thought. The families of 1200 children have been told to get the infants tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. Parents have contacted the Australian Childhood Foundation complaining they're not getting adequate communication from authorities or childcare centre management. "We're dropping the ball," the charity's chief executive Janise Mitchell told AAP. She supported the police investigation but added there needed to be a constant line of communication to the families most closely impacted. "What that loses sight of is the anxiety, the terror, the fear parents are laying awake with every night, wondering where they sit in the unfolding scenario," Ms Mitchell said. "In the absence of communication, fear grows, mistrust grows, and anxiety grows that there's something going on." Families of the children recommended for STI testing are anxiously awaiting results, with several told to get their infants checked twice. They were first told to get their child checked for two diseases and then days later were warned about the need to test for a third. State, territory and federal education ministers are due to meet in August and they will discuss tighter safety measures, including the introduction of CCTV in centres and a national register of childcare workers. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, as an urgent Victorian review examines making the technology mandatory. South Australia is considering cameras and fast-tracking mobile phone bans in childcare centres while Western Australia is conducting a child safety review into facilities there. The Albanese government also plans to fast-track legislation to allow funding to be stripped from centres that don't meet standards, while spot checks will be introduced to limit fraud. But a former royal commissioner has slammed governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks after an inquiry in 2015 issued the recommendation. Brown had a valid working with children check and was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said it was shameful the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime," the now-age discrimination commissioner said. Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Authorities have been accused of dropping the ball in their failure to disclose an alleged child abuser's full work history as police dig into his past. Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with more than 70 sex offences after allegedly abusing eight children aged under two at a childcare facility at Point Cook, in Melbourne's southwest. The 26-year-old worked in at least 20 centres since 2017, for which a list and set of dates have already been made public. But Victoria Police said they were continuing to investigate further details of his employment history as a matter of priority after parents reported discrepancies in the listed dates. "We understand that many in the community are feeling concerned and anxious, however it is incredibly important that this information is confirmed, then thoroughly reviewed with other relevant agencies prior to any public release," a police spokeswoman said. Childcare operator Affinity Education, which operates several facilities where Brown worked, is reviewing its records following reports he might have been employed longer than first thought. The families of 1200 children have been told to get the infants tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. Parents have contacted the Australian Childhood Foundation complaining they're not getting adequate communication from authorities or childcare centre management. "We're dropping the ball," the charity's chief executive Janise Mitchell told AAP. She supported the police investigation but added there needed to be a constant line of communication to the families most closely impacted. "What that loses sight of is the anxiety, the terror, the fear parents are laying awake with every night, wondering where they sit in the unfolding scenario," Ms Mitchell said. "In the absence of communication, fear grows, mistrust grows, and anxiety grows that there's something going on." Families of the children recommended for STI testing are anxiously awaiting results, with several told to get their infants checked twice. They were first told to get their child checked for two diseases and then days later were warned about the need to test for a third. State, territory and federal education ministers are due to meet in August and they will discuss tighter safety measures, including the introduction of CCTV in centres and a national register of childcare workers. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, as an urgent Victorian review examines making the technology mandatory. South Australia is considering cameras and fast-tracking mobile phone bans in childcare centres while Western Australia is conducting a child safety review into facilities there. The Albanese government also plans to fast-track legislation to allow funding to be stripped from centres that don't meet standards, while spot checks will be introduced to limit fraud. But a former royal commissioner has slammed governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks after an inquiry in 2015 issued the recommendation. Brown had a valid working with children check and was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said it was shameful the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime," the now-age discrimination commissioner said. Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Authorities have been accused of dropping the ball in their failure to disclose an alleged child abuser's full work history as police dig into his past. Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with more than 70 sex offences after allegedly abusing eight children aged under two at a childcare facility at Point Cook, in Melbourne's southwest. The 26-year-old worked in at least 20 centres since 2017, for which a list and set of dates have already been made public. But Victoria Police said they were continuing to investigate further details of his employment history as a matter of priority after parents reported discrepancies in the listed dates. "We understand that many in the community are feeling concerned and anxious, however it is incredibly important that this information is confirmed, then thoroughly reviewed with other relevant agencies prior to any public release," a police spokeswoman said. Childcare operator Affinity Education, which operates several facilities where Brown worked, is reviewing its records following reports he might have been employed longer than first thought. The families of 1200 children have been told to get the infants tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. Parents have contacted the Australian Childhood Foundation complaining they're not getting adequate communication from authorities or childcare centre management. "We're dropping the ball," the charity's chief executive Janise Mitchell told AAP. She supported the police investigation but added there needed to be a constant line of communication to the families most closely impacted. "What that loses sight of is the anxiety, the terror, the fear parents are laying awake with every night, wondering where they sit in the unfolding scenario," Ms Mitchell said. "In the absence of communication, fear grows, mistrust grows, and anxiety grows that there's something going on." Families of the children recommended for STI testing are anxiously awaiting results, with several told to get their infants checked twice. They were first told to get their child checked for two diseases and then days later were warned about the need to test for a third. State, territory and federal education ministers are due to meet in August and they will discuss tighter safety measures, including the introduction of CCTV in centres and a national register of childcare workers. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, as an urgent Victorian review examines making the technology mandatory. South Australia is considering cameras and fast-tracking mobile phone bans in childcare centres while Western Australia is conducting a child safety review into facilities there. The Albanese government also plans to fast-track legislation to allow funding to be stripped from centres that don't meet standards, while spot checks will be introduced to limit fraud. But a former royal commissioner has slammed governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks after an inquiry in 2015 issued the recommendation. Brown had a valid working with children check and was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said it was shameful the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime," the now-age discrimination commissioner said. Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Authorities have been accused of dropping the ball in their failure to disclose an alleged child abuser's full work history as police dig into his past. Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with more than 70 sex offences after allegedly abusing eight children aged under two at a childcare facility at Point Cook, in Melbourne's southwest. The 26-year-old worked in at least 20 centres since 2017, for which a list and set of dates have already been made public. But Victoria Police said they were continuing to investigate further details of his employment history as a matter of priority after parents reported discrepancies in the listed dates. "We understand that many in the community are feeling concerned and anxious, however it is incredibly important that this information is confirmed, then thoroughly reviewed with other relevant agencies prior to any public release," a police spokeswoman said. Childcare operator Affinity Education, which operates several facilities where Brown worked, is reviewing its records following reports he might have been employed longer than first thought. The families of 1200 children have been told to get the infants tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. Parents have contacted the Australian Childhood Foundation complaining they're not getting adequate communication from authorities or childcare centre management. "We're dropping the ball," the charity's chief executive Janise Mitchell told AAP. She supported the police investigation but added there needed to be a constant line of communication to the families most closely impacted. "What that loses sight of is the anxiety, the terror, the fear parents are laying awake with every night, wondering where they sit in the unfolding scenario," Ms Mitchell said. "In the absence of communication, fear grows, mistrust grows, and anxiety grows that there's something going on." Families of the children recommended for STI testing are anxiously awaiting results, with several told to get their infants checked twice. They were first told to get their child checked for two diseases and then days later were warned about the need to test for a third. State, territory and federal education ministers are due to meet in August and they will discuss tighter safety measures, including the introduction of CCTV in centres and a national register of childcare workers. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, as an urgent Victorian review examines making the technology mandatory. South Australia is considering cameras and fast-tracking mobile phone bans in childcare centres while Western Australia is conducting a child safety review into facilities there. The Albanese government also plans to fast-track legislation to allow funding to be stripped from centres that don't meet standards, while spot checks will be introduced to limit fraud. But a former royal commissioner has slammed governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks after an inquiry in 2015 issued the recommendation. Brown had a valid working with children check and was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said it was shameful the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime," the now-age discrimination commissioner said. Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
7NEWS
03-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Outrage as Working with Children Check only takes 30 minutes and requires a simple online form
It has been revealed that the Working with Children Check (WWCC) is only a 30-minute online form for anyone without a criminal record. A major spotlight has this week been put on child safety tools after a man was charged with 70 offences at a Melbourne childcare centre. Childcare worker Joshua Brown, 26, has been charged in relation to eight victims who attended a Point Cook childcare centre between April 2022 and January 2023. A Working with Children Check usually handles state-by-state but involves a national police check and a review of reportable workplace misconduct. Previously, the check has been a key safety tool used to ensure kids are being kept safe. The Herald Sun compared the online form with Victoria's Responsible Service of Alcohol course, which requires up to 10 hours of training in order to become certified. A number of childhood sexual abuse advocates, including Australian Childhood Foundation survivor Emma Hakansson, 25, said it was 'laughable' that governments considered the current checks acceptable. 'The adult who sexually abused me also had a WWCC,' she said in a report in the publication. 'The WWCC could be a tool to arm safe adults with training to keep children safe, and it's absurd we trust adults with children without any training, while training is required to serve alcohol, even to handle food.' On Friday, journalists Luke Bona and Susie O'Brien joined Nat Barr on Sunrise to discuss the relative ease in meeting the Working with Children Check requirement. Both called for tougher regulations. 'The story that has sparked all this is the most horrific thing,' Bona said. 'Remember, everybody is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but the spotlight is certainly on the safety and welfare of our children. 'The safety of our children is the most important thing we can offer, and we must provide. 'So, I take my hat off to Hetty Johnson from Bravehearts who's going to form her own course. 'But it's got to be mandatory, because the message is, we've got to keep kids safe at all costs.' This week, journalist Susie O'Brien reported that educators facing serious allegations can still work in childcare centres for up to two years due to regulatory issues. They are often allowed to work during the investigation. 'The comparison between the RSA and the Working with Children Check is really interesting, because you can be fined $10,000 for serving someone drunk,' O'Brien began. 'You probably lose your job, find it hard to get another job. 'But you can be a childcare worker who molests a toddler. 'Yes, you will lose your job, but you can continue working in other centres for up to two years, while they and decide if you're guilty or not, particularly in this state, but other states as well. 'It can take up to two years for a predator to be removed from childcare centres, and that is a massive problem.'
Sydney Morning Herald
02-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
On-site child safety experts, independent regulation called for to combat ‘paedophile's dream'
The NSW government announced the establishment of an independent early childhood regulator last week, responding to a rise in safety breaches at childcare centres. Calls for independent regulation of national Child Safe Standards aimed at preventing sexual abuse of babies and toddlers in the state's burgeoning childcare sector were supported by National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds. 'The regulators don't have enough teeth to act,' she said. 'We need strong independent oversight and monitoring. The regulators are often not visiting centres – there are big gaps in time between their visits. All those things need to be fixed.' Deb Tsorbaris, chief executive of Victoria's peak body for child and family services, the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, said on-site child safety officers were currently recommended but the position must be made mandatory. 'This is a critical role that would make sure difficult questions are asked during recruitment and onboarding and [that] continual safety audits, training and engagement with children and families becomes part of the culture of our childcare and early years settings,' Tsorbaris said. 'Unfortunately what happened at this childcare centre [where the alleged sexual abuse of eight children aged between five months and two years is being investigated by Victoria Police] doesn't surprise me.' Loading Victoria's multibillion-dollar childcare sector is in crisis after police on Tuesday charged childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown with 70 offences, including child rape. Brown worked in 20 daycare centres across Melbourne and Geelong over the last eight years. On Wednesday, under pressure over the growing scandal, the Victorian government announced two reviews of the sector and a range of reforms, including mobile phone bans at childcare centres. Janise Mitchell, chief executive of the Australian Childhood Foundation, supported calls for the creation of an independent regulator, and said applications for working with children checks must include mandatory training. 'We released some research showing 37 media reports in the 2024 calendar year of people who had working with children checks around the country being found to have been abusing children,' Mitchell said. 'There is an over-reliance on the working with children check, it is not a failsafe … We have been calling for mandatory training to be included since March last year. [Now] it is purely an administrative process. 'We know perpetrators use these systems to gain access to kids, but because so few perpetrators ever come to the attention of the justice system, they're able to use these credentials to find their way into systems.' Mitchell said there were more than 5.8 million people with working with children checks across the country, 'and most of those haven't received any training in understanding the issue [of child safety].' Brown had a valid working with children check when he was arrested, police have said. Anne-Marie Morrissey, a former childcare centre co-ordinator and now an associate professor of early childhood education at Deakin University, also supported creation of an independent Victorian childcare safety regulator. '[We need] as much regulation independence as possible: it's not working as it is,' Morrissey said. 'Centres can work the system, people come out and they get it together and put on a good front.' The sector 'certainly needs stronger regulation', said Morrissey, a long-term researcher. 'And I don't think the Commonwealth, in areas where it does have power and influence, is really doing enough ... We have to have a real overhaul and look at the nitty-gritty of what is going on that these things can happen.' Several experts said they were not aware of any way parents could get access to information about what allegations or investigations had been undertaken by the Victorian regulator into specific childcare centres. 'What happens when things are reported? There's no transparency around that. We [sector observers] don't know what's going on,' Morrissey said. Loading 'People report things, and we never know what happens; there never seems to be consequences, in particular with these commercial chains. They just seem to go on their merry way.' Monitoring of childcare business activities was so poor 'a centre might get closed down, and then they pop up somewhere else, possibly under another name'. State and federal inquiries and royal commissions have found serious flaws in the working with children check system. The 2015 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended a national system, with information and intelligence shared across borders. A decade later the system is still a patchwork of different state laws, due to the states being 'over-protective' of their state schemes, said Robert Fitzgerald, one of the commissioners. 'It is shameful we have not achieved a nationally co-ordinated Working With Children regime, 10 years on from those recommendations. It means there is a gap in the safeguard system,' he said. A review by the Victorian Ombudsman in 2022, following a sexual assault of a 13 -year-old by a man with a valid check, found the system was 'absurdly' flawed. The checks only look for criminal convictions and do not take into account police intelligence, arrests or complaints, even when they relate to child safety matters. 'It's a very broken system' that created a false sense of security for childcare centres employing new staff, National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds said. Loading Several experts pointed to underlying systemic pressure straining safety at the nation's childcare centres: the federal government is trying to rapidly expand the childcare sector, creating huge strain on centres to find qualified staff. 'We've dropped the ball, in the rush to open more centres, because of the demand. We've dropped the ball on safety,' said Hollonds. Victoria added 151,736 new childcare places between 2013 and 2023, 72 per cent of them in for-profit centres. But Australia is short tens of thousands of early childhood educators to meet current demand – and needs thousands more to meet the federal government's legislated plans for three days of subsidised childcare for every family, due to start in January. This leads to 'severe understaffing at most centres,' said the Greens' Abigail Boyd. 'When you have understaffing it means you don't have people keeping an eye on each other, and you have educators alone with children. Unfortunately, it is a paedophile's dream. 'There used to be a culture of teamwork in these centres. They knew each other really well. If there was someone who wasn't doing the right thing, they would all know about it.' While the state's school and kindergarten teachers must be registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, no such licensing scheme exists for childcare educators. That makes it impossible for authorities to track their movements between centres, or co-ordinate the collection of intelligence, allegations or complaints. 'Just like schoolteachers have to be registered, we need the same thing for early childhood teachers, absolutely,' said Hollonds. As a condition of registration, teachers are required to undertake continual education and training. Loading In 2023, federal childcare regulator the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) recommended childcare educators be required to undertake bi-annual training in child safety, including identifying grooming and abuse. Registration would also enable states to operate 'person of interest' systems – another key recommendation from the 2023 review. Working with children checks only consider offences a person has been convicted of. A 'person of interest' system could also track complaints and unsubstantiated allegations, as well as childcare workers who were regularly changing centres. Ashley Paul Griffith, one of Australia's worst paedophiles, worked at 11 locations across Brisbane, and was the subject of multiple unsubstantiated complaints before his arrest. 'Typically the offender moves on before their offences become known. They are looking for opportunity,' said David Bartlett, a criminologist and director of BDK Insights. ACECQA recommended moving to a risk-based approach, taking action against staff when complaints are received rather than waiting for an offence to be committed. Griffith was caught by police in possession of child abuse material; police then worked backwards to discover he was a childcare worker. 'That should send shockwaves through the sector, because it means the sector is not picking them up,' said Boyd.
The Age
02-07-2025
- The Age
On-site child safety experts, independent regulation called for to combat ‘paedophile's dream'
The NSW government announced the establishment of an independent early childhood regulator last week, responding to a rise in safety breaches at childcare centres. Calls for independent regulation of national Child Safe Standards aimed at preventing sexual abuse of babies and toddlers in the state's burgeoning childcare sector were supported by National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds. 'The regulators don't have enough teeth to act,' she said. 'We need strong independent oversight and monitoring. The regulators are often not visiting centres – there are big gaps in time between their visits. All those things need to be fixed.' Deb Tsorbaris, chief executive of Victoria's peak body for child and family services, the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, said on-site child safety officers were currently recommended but the position must be made mandatory. 'This is a critical role that would make sure difficult questions are asked during recruitment and onboarding and [that] continual safety audits, training and engagement with children and families becomes part of the culture of our childcare and early years settings,' Tsorbaris said. 'Unfortunately what happened at this childcare centre [where the alleged sexual abuse of eight children aged between five months and two years is being investigated by Victoria Police] doesn't surprise me.' Loading Victoria's multibillion-dollar childcare sector is in crisis after police on Tuesday charged childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown with 70 offences, including child rape. Brown worked in 20 daycare centres across Melbourne and Geelong over the last eight years. On Wednesday, under pressure over the growing scandal, the Victorian government announced two reviews of the sector and a range of reforms, including mobile phone bans at childcare centres. Janise Mitchell, chief executive of the Australian Childhood Foundation, supported calls for the creation of an independent regulator, and said applications for working with children checks must include mandatory training. 'We released some research showing 37 media reports in the 2024 calendar year of people who had working with children checks around the country being found to have been abusing children,' Mitchell said. 'There is an over-reliance on the working with children check, it is not a failsafe … We have been calling for mandatory training to be included since March last year. [Now] it is purely an administrative process. 'We know perpetrators use these systems to gain access to kids, but because so few perpetrators ever come to the attention of the justice system, they're able to use these credentials to find their way into systems.' Mitchell said there were more than 5.8 million people with working with children checks across the country, 'and most of those haven't received any training in understanding the issue [of child safety].' Brown had a valid working with children check when he was arrested, police have said. Anne-Marie Morrissey, a former childcare centre co-ordinator and now an associate professor of early childhood education at Deakin University, also supported creation of an independent Victorian childcare safety regulator. '[We need] as much regulation independence as possible: it's not working as it is,' Morrissey said. 'Centres can work the system, people come out and they get it together and put on a good front.' The sector 'certainly needs stronger regulation', said Morrissey, a long-term researcher. 'And I don't think the Commonwealth, in areas where it does have power and influence, is really doing enough ... We have to have a real overhaul and look at the nitty-gritty of what is going on that these things can happen.' Several experts said they were not aware of any way parents could get access to information about what allegations or investigations had been undertaken by the Victorian regulator into specific childcare centres. 'What happens when things are reported? There's no transparency around that. We [sector observers] don't know what's going on,' Morrissey said. Loading 'People report things, and we never know what happens; there never seems to be consequences, in particular with these commercial chains. They just seem to go on their merry way.' Monitoring of childcare business activities was so poor 'a centre might get closed down, and then they pop up somewhere else, possibly under another name'. State and federal inquiries and royal commissions have found serious flaws in the working with children check system. The 2015 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended a national system, with information and intelligence shared across borders. A decade later the system is still a patchwork of different state laws, due to the states being 'over-protective' of their state schemes, said Robert Fitzgerald, one of the commissioners. 'It is shameful we have not achieved a nationally co-ordinated Working With Children regime, 10 years on from those recommendations. It means there is a gap in the safeguard system,' he said. A review by the Victorian Ombudsman in 2022, following a sexual assault of a 13 -year-old by a man with a valid check, found the system was 'absurdly' flawed. The checks only look for criminal convictions and do not take into account police intelligence, arrests or complaints, even when they relate to child safety matters. 'It's a very broken system' that created a false sense of security for childcare centres employing new staff, National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds said. Loading Several experts pointed to underlying systemic pressure straining safety at the nation's childcare centres: the federal government is trying to rapidly expand the childcare sector, creating huge strain on centres to find qualified staff. 'We've dropped the ball, in the rush to open more centres, because of the demand. We've dropped the ball on safety,' said Hollonds. Victoria added 151,736 new childcare places between 2013 and 2023, 72 per cent of them in for-profit centres. But Australia is short tens of thousands of early childhood educators to meet current demand – and needs thousands more to meet the federal government's legislated plans for three days of subsidised childcare for every family, due to start in January. This leads to 'severe understaffing at most centres,' said the Greens' Abigail Boyd. 'When you have understaffing it means you don't have people keeping an eye on each other, and you have educators alone with children. Unfortunately, it is a paedophile's dream. 'There used to be a culture of teamwork in these centres. They knew each other really well. If there was someone who wasn't doing the right thing, they would all know about it.' While the state's school and kindergarten teachers must be registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, no such licensing scheme exists for childcare educators. That makes it impossible for authorities to track their movements between centres, or co-ordinate the collection of intelligence, allegations or complaints. 'Just like schoolteachers have to be registered, we need the same thing for early childhood teachers, absolutely,' said Hollonds. As a condition of registration, teachers are required to undertake continual education and training. Loading In 2023, federal childcare regulator the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) recommended childcare educators be required to undertake bi-annual training in child safety, including identifying grooming and abuse. Registration would also enable states to operate 'person of interest' systems – another key recommendation from the 2023 review. Working with children checks only consider offences a person has been convicted of. A 'person of interest' system could also track complaints and unsubstantiated allegations, as well as childcare workers who were regularly changing centres. Ashley Paul Griffith, one of Australia's worst paedophiles, worked at 11 locations across Brisbane, and was the subject of multiple unsubstantiated complaints before his arrest. 'Typically the offender moves on before their offences become known. They are looking for opportunity,' said David Bartlett, a criminologist and director of BDK Insights. ACECQA recommended moving to a risk-based approach, taking action against staff when complaints are received rather than waiting for an offence to be committed. Griffith was caught by police in possession of child abuse material; police then worked backwards to discover he was a childcare worker. 'That should send shockwaves through the sector, because it means the sector is not picking them up,' said Boyd.
