New reality for parents after daycare worker was charged with 70 child abuses offences

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Parents are facing an agonising wait after their toddlers were tested for sexually transmitted diseases following the arrest of accused childcare predator Joshua Brown.
Joshua Dale Brown, 26, has been charged with more than 70 child abuse offences, including sexual penetration of a child under 12 and producing child abuse material.
The charges also include 'recklessly contaminate goods to cause alarm or anxiety,' which is understood to refer to the alleged contamination of food with bodily fluids.
Days before his arrest, Brown was working in the kitchen at Papilio Early Learning Centre in Essendon and was helping with meal preparation while the chef was away.
The alleged offences occurred during Brown's employment at Creative Garden Early Learning Centre Point Cook, where he worked from October 2021 to February 2024.
His eight alleged victims were aged between five months and two years old and were enrolled at the Point Cook childcare centre.
Following his arrest, the Victorian Department of Health and Victoria Police issued an urgent warning urging parents of 1,200 children to take them to the doctor for STI testing.
The horrified parents have revealed that even with a clean bill of health, there is still a 'dark cloud' weighing on their minds, as Brown had been around their children.
One mother explained her family has already suffered emotional damage and that work on their mental health is needed to put the ordeal behind them.
'Even when the urine tests come back negative, which I'm hoping and praying they do, this will always be a dark cloud hanging over our heads,' she told news.com.au.
'We will never have complete peace of mind or certainty over what exposure Joshua Brown had with our kids.'
One father shared the traumatic experience of having his seven-year-old daughter tested for STIs.
The dad claimed the testing not only affected him, his wife, and their daughter, but also that the pathologist, receptionists, and doctor were 'visibly upset.'
'My daughter was saying 'Daddy, this is really hurting me, make the lady stop,'' the father told the Herald Sun.
'The urine test was OK, she thought it was quite amusing, but the blood tests … They had to take two full vials so the needle was in her arm for quite a long time.'
He labelled the tests as the easy part of the ordeal, claiming the agonising wait for the results, which could take up to seven days, filled him with anxiety.
'It's every bit as bad as you think it's going to be. Every time my phone rings … I get anxiety, every time it rings,' he said.
Other parents are trying to figure out whether their children, who attended childcare centres across the state, had come into contact with Brown.
Victoria Police published a list of 20 childcare centres where Brown worked over an eight-year period between January 2017 and May 2025.
However, other centres not on the list have confirmed Brown was on staff.
One mother, whose children attend a Milestones centre, discovered Brown was at the childcare on December 5, 2024, after using Storypark — a platform that provides parents with updates on their child's day.
'I feel so sick and upset, that's two days we now know of,' the mum told news.com.au.
'Will there be more days discovered and who will tell us? Or do we have to investigate with the news to be our people who find the truth?'
The mum added it was sad that parents had to investigate for themselves, rather than authorities or centres being proactive in informing them.
A father explained it was becoming 'sickening' trying to work out whether his child visited a centre on the same day as Brown.
Another mother said she could not sleep because of the uncertainty over whether Brown had crossed paths with her children.
In the wake of Brown's arrest, three of Australia's largest childcare operators have announced they would be implementing safeguards to protect children.
Goodstart, G8 Education, and Affinity — which account for more than 30 per cent of long daycare providers nationwide — have already implemented safeguards, including CCTV cameras.
G8 Education issued a market update to the ASX stating it would accelerate the rollout of CCTV cameras across its centres after trialling them at several locations.
The childcare provider also intends to commission an independent review once Brown's criminal proceedings are finalised.
'These allegations are deeply disturbing, and our hearts go out to the children and families involved,' G8 Education Chief Executive Pejman Okhovat said.
'I am deeply sorry for the unimaginable pain caused to our families and what they are going through.'
Meanwhile, Affinity is immediately installing CCTV and secure lock boxes across all its centres, a move which is set to cost around $10million.
The childcare industry has also welcomed the government's move to strengthen protections for children.
Brown is set to face court in September.