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Sky News AU
a day ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘I am truly sorry': Premier Jacinta Allan has promised to overhaul Victoria's childcare system after damning review
Premier Jacinta Allan has promised to overhaul Victoria's troubled childcare system after a damning review found major changes were needed to ensure children's safety. The Allan government's Rapid Child Safety Review, released on Wednesday, has handed down 22 recommendations while outlining a strict 12-month timeline for much needed improvements across multiple areas. The review, undertaken by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and veteran public servant Pam White, was launched following shocking allegations of abuse by a Victorian childcare worker came to light in July. Responding to the review on Thursday, Premier Allan acknowledged the system 'simply isn't working'. 'Parents must be able to drop their children off at childcare, knowing they will be encouraged to play and learn — trusting they will be safe. That trust has been horribly broken,' Ms Allan said. 'To every family who has been hurt by these horrifying allegations, I am truly sorry. You put your trust in a system, and that system let you down. 'As a mum, I cannot begin to imagine that pain. But as Premier, I can do everything in my power to act.' The Victorian government has accepted all 22 recommendations and has announced immediate action to create a new independent regulator, boost funding to the sector by $42 million, and massively overhaul the state's Working With Children Check (WWCC) system. The WWCC system been the target of intense criticism since July with revelations emerging last week that a childcare worker who had been blacklisted from the industry in 2020 over accusations of grooming, kissing toddlers, and attempting to organise unsanctioned catch-ups, still had a valid working WWCC. The rapid review recommended major changes to the WWCC, which found the system was 'not fit-for-purpose' and needed to be 'rebalanced in favour of child safety'. Among the biggest flaws highlighted was the inability for childcare workers to be stripped of their WWCC without a formal criminal charge, conviction or finding of guilt. The review not only recommended making it easier for childcare workers to have their WWCCs suspended or cancelled on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations, but also changes to allow police and child protection authorities to share unsubstantiated information to enable action to be taken. It also recommended the removal of the ability for those accused of misconduct to appeal the decision to VCAT, with this being replaced by an internal review process with child safety experts responsible for all decisions. Many of the concerns about the WWCC system were previously recommended by former Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass. And following the release of the rapid review, the Director of the Australian Catholic University's Institute of Child Protection Studies said that while action from the government was welcome, the findings 'do not tell us anything new'. 'Disappointing that it took such high-profile horrific incidents of abuse involving vulnerable children for the spotlight to finally be shone on these long-running safety gaps in early childhood education and care,' Professor Daryl Higgins told the Herald Sun. Professor Higgins said the government needed to match its words with actions. 'We need to match the strong verbal commitments of the Victorian Government today with real and urgent action to implement these recommendations,' he said. Shadow Education Minister Jess Wilson said the fact the government had not acted sooner showed a 'failure of leadership'. 'What is clear from today's review is that the government has delayed obvious, urgent action to keep children safe in this state,' she said. 'They have been warned for years that the system is not up to standard, that it is not keeping children safe, and it is failing to ensure that those who should not be working with children are not in the system and working with children.' Ms Wilson pointed out the Liberal and National parties had introduced legislation to improve the WWCC system three weeks ago and it had been voted it down by the government. 'As a consequence of not passing those laws last in the last sitting period, there are individuals now still holding active working with children, checks in this state that should not be that pose a risk to children,' the shadow minister said. 'Had the premier, had the government worked constructively with the opposition, that would not be the case.'
Herald Sun
a day ago
- Herald Sun
Major flaws exposed in Vic childcare safety system, review reveals
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. A scathing review has found children's safety had been compromised by systemic failures, chronic underfunding and outdated practices in Victorian childcare centres, prompting urgent calls for sweeping reform. The Rapid Child Safety Review, released on Wednesday, recommended creating a powerful new watchdog and overhauling the troubled Working With Children Check (WWCC) regime. The review, led by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and public servant Pamela White, handed down 22 recommendations and urged the Victorian government to enact them within 12 months. Former childcare worker Joshua Brown is alleged to have sexually abused babies and toddlers. Picture Supplied. It followed allegations Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown sexually abused babies and toddlers, prompting at least seven further reports of alleged or proven abuse by people with WWCC clearances since July. Mr Brown is believed to have worked at 24 childcare centres over his career and is facing 73 charges, including 28 of producing child abuse material, 24 of transmitting child abuse material, 13 of sexually touching a child under 16 and three of sexual penetration of a child under 12. His alleged offences triggered a major public health alert, with the parents and guardians of more than 2000 children advised to have them tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. The review's 22 recommendations focus on preventing predators from entering the system, quickly identifying and excluding them if they do, and ensuring they can never work with children again. The Milestones early learning and kindergarten in Greensborough which is one of the day care centres that Joshua Brown worked. Picture: NewsWire / Aaron Francis Key measures include: ●Establishing a National Early Childhood Worker Register covering all staff with regular contact with children, including casual workers. ●Overhauling the Working With Children Check and Reportable Conduct schemes to allow unsubstantiated but credible allegations to trigger refusal or suspension. ●Strengthening the independence and powers of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) regulator, including unannounced inspections of all services at least once a year. ●Improving physical safety in centres through initiatives such as a 'four eyes' staffing rule and trials of closed-circuit television for regulatory purposes. ●Enhancing transparency and workforce support, including mandatory child safety training and clearer guidance for reporting concerns. Premier Jacinta Allan apologised to families and committed to implementing all 22 recommendations. 'This sickens me as premier, it also sickens me as a mum,' Ms Allan said. 'I will do everything in my power as Premier to make sure child safety comes first, that's why we're announcing a child safety overhaul.' Victoria will establish a new independent regulator to oversee childcare centres, more than doubling compliance inspections and administering the new Early Childhood Workforce Register. Premier Jacinta Allan says the extent of problems in the childcare sector 'sickens her'. Picture: NewsWire / Nadir Kinani The Social Services Regulator will also be strengthened, consolidating the WWCC, Reportable Conduct Scheme, and Child Safe Standards under one roof with expanded powers to proactively assess risks. 'We are already banning personal devices in childcare rooms to protect children, and work to establish a statewide register of childcare workers is underway,' Ms Allan said. 'We will do everything we can to make sure safety comes first. The government is also calling on the Commonwealth to implement national reforms, including a 10-year strategy for the ECEC system, higher penalties for non-compliance, and the creation of a national Early Childhood Worker Register. The Premier and Cabinet were briefed on Monday, and ministers will meet Friday to discuss immediate action. Originally published as 'Sickens me': Damning review exposes childcare safety crisis
Perth Now
a day ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
‘Sickens me': Review reveals childcare shock
A scathing review has found children's safety had been compromised by systemic failures, chronic underfunding and outdated practices in Victorian childcare centres, prompting urgent calls for sweeping reform. The Rapid Child Safety Review, released on Wednesday, recommended creating a powerful new watchdog and overhauling the troubled Working With Children Check (WWCC) regime. Former childcare worker Joshua Brown is alleged to have sexually abused babies and toddlers. Picture Supplied. Credit: Supplied The review, led by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and public servant Pamela White, handed down 22 recommendations and urged the Victorian government to enact them within 12 months. It followed allegations Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown sexually abused babies and toddlers, prompting at least seven further reports of alleged or proven abuse by people with WWCC clearances since July. Premier Jacinta Allan apologised to families and committed to implementing all 22 recommendations. 'This sickens me as premier, it also sickens me as a mum,' Ms Allan said, Premier Jacinta Allan said the report 'sickens' her. NewsWire / Nadir Kinani Credit: News Corp Australia She announced a new Early Childhood Education and Care Regulator by the end of 2025 with 'real teeth' and double the current rate of compliance checks. All WWCC applicants will have to complete child safety training, and clearances could be revoked on unsubstantiated allegations, rather than only following formal charges or convictions. The Premier and Cabinet were briefed on Monday, and ministers will meet Friday to discuss immediate action. More to come.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Victorian government releases damning review into childcare regulation, 22 recommendations made
Victoria's childcare watchdogs are failing to keep kids safe due to poor information sharing, legal constraint, chronic underfunding and a system that places the privacy of educators and the pursuit of profits over child safety, a rapid review has found. The review, commissioned in the wake of more than 70 charges of child abuse against a Melbourne childcare worker in June, calls for a shake-up of the sector with a new independent early childhood regulator established. The report, chaired by former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, made 22 recommendations which Premier Jacinta Allan has already committed to adopting, while other recommendations are made to the Commonwealth government. Under the plan, the Working with Children Check (WWCC) scheme will also be beefed up, requiring all applicants to complete child safe training. It will also be easier for a WWCC to be revoked or suspended, with the current threshold too high, the report found. ABC investigations have recently uncovered two male educators, sacked by childcare operators, and banned from the sector, who still had active WWCCs at the time of writing. The report said 'red flags' from unsubstantiated reports to the reportable conduct scheme are not being taken into consideration, with action stifled by poor information sharing between authorities. "The review heard multiple times that the 'breadcrumbs' of information about a person — including information which does not meet the relatively high thresholds for substantiated conduct, but which is nevertheless still concerning — is rarely able to be seen and acted upon because no one can see the whole picture,'' it said. The review said Victoria's WWCC laws were the least flexible, a finding similar to the state's ombudsman in 2022, and will increase pressure on the Allan government to explain why it took so long to improve WWCC laws. Predators have been able to escape sanction in Victoria because some centres have placed profits and reputation above child safety. "There are tensions in the system that lead some providers to prioritise other things, including profit in some instances. The review said greater issues existed in the for-profit childcare sector and called on the Commonwealth to lead a discussion about reconsidering the "current funding model and reliance on the market." While the review warned there's "no silver bullet' it said the Commission for Children and Young People, which receives all allegations of reportable conduct, needs to have restrictions on its work loosened. Across the sector the report urged laws to be re-balanced in favour of protecting children, with the current system stifling reporting. "Current legal frameworks are often interpreted as prioritising procedural fairness for employees, which can act as a brake on employers taking early or decisive action to protect children, for fear of industrial or legal challenges." Reports to the CCYP have grown substantially in recent years, but the funding for the Commission has not increased. The Commission warned that 85 per cent of child abuse and harm investigations receive low or minimal oversight. The government is expected to increase funding to regulators. The recommendations also call for a new early learning national reform commission to be set up to lead a reset of Australia's early childhood sector. It calls for tougher penalties for centres that break the law. The report also says providers need to complete more rigorous recruitment practices, which would be assisted by a comprehensive national workers register. As part of the reforms of the WWCC the government should consider reducing the right of appeal, a move NSW has already taken. "No matter how hard we try to keep predators out, some will get through. The system needs to be able to spot them and act quickly," it said. The report also says staffing levels in centres need to be reconsidered to ensure that 'four eyes' are always on children. It recommended immediate action on the report's findings, including at a meeting of national education ministers on Friday. Premier Jacinta Allan will unveil the government's response this afternoon.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Perth Now
Major crackdown on 30 childcare centres
The federal government has launched compliance action against 30 childcare centres as it moves desperately to ramp up child safety measures in the wake of jarring allegations of widespread failures across the embattled sector. Education Minister Jason Clare, speaking on Friday, said the 30 centres had failed to meet National Quality Standards and he would withdraw funding from them if they did not lift their performance over the next six months. 'We have taken action swiftly under the new legislation to begin rebuilding confidence in a system that parents need to have confidence in,' he said. 'This is not about closing centres down, it's about lifting standards up. 'Over the next six months, these centres will need to lift their game or they will face further consequences including the cutting off of funding.' The centres, which have not been named, now have 48 hours to notify parents of the action. Not meeting quality and safety standards can include failures to provide for play area safety, hygiene, staff training or supervision. The compliance blitz follows the passage of legislation through federal parliament last month giving the government the power to strip funding from centres that fail to meet basic standards. Education Minister Jason Clare has threatened to cut off funding from 30 childcare centres. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Centres can also be stripped of their childcare subsidy approval. Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh said the government would put the 'safety and wellbeing' of children 'first and foremost'. 'Today's action should signal to all early childhood education and care providers that the National Quality Standards are not optional and that all services must be up to scratch,' she said. The country is reeling from multiple allegations of shocking and widespread failures in child safety across the sector. On July 1, Victoria Police announced horrific child sex abuse allegations against child care worker Joshua Dale Brown, alleging he had offended against eight children while working for the Creative Gardens Point Cook centre between October 2021 and February 2024. Mr Brown worked in at least 23 centres across Victoria between January 2017 and May 2025 and he held a valid Working With Children Check (WWCC). Later that month, it was revealed the Australian Federal Police had charged David William James with abusing children at six after-school care centres between 2021 and 2024. Alleged child sex abuser Joshua Brown worked at several centres over between 2017 and 2025. Picture Supplied. Credit: Supplied Dramatic reforms are now expected for the sector. On Friday, state and federal attorney-generals met to discuss how to toughen up safety. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has promised a 'banned in one, banned in all' system – in which a person banned from holding a WWCC in one state cannot obtain one in another. Under the changes, criminal histories will be updated and shared in real time between jurisdictions and the criteria that determines who is able to obtain a WWCC will be strengthened. 'It is notable that nefarious individuals have been shopping around the working with children check system and exploiting loopholes,' Ms Rowland said. Ms Rowland said the new national system would be operational by the end of the year. Both the Victorian and NSW governments have also pledged to ban personal mobile devices from centres. Major providers, including G8 Education and Affinity, have pledged to install CCTV into their centres.
