In Australia, education ministers from each of the states and territories are getting together for a very high-stakes meeting. Their goal was to make children safer by putting more attention toward introducing CCTV cameras into childcare centres. To celebrate, South Australian Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer recently announced a huge expansion. We’re glad to see his state making big moves to invest in child safety! Meeting occurs as worries over failure to enforce child safety regulations grow. State lawmakers are shifting their conversations toward this important issue.
South Australia is getting tough on childcare centres that don’t tow the line. Violations, they caution, can incur fines up to $50,000 and/or suspension of operations. Most recently, an inquiry in New South Wales has recommended improving safety in out-of-home care facilities, including childcare. It suggests outfitting all new facilities with CCTV cameras to monitor compliance and increase security protections. Meanwhile, Victoria has proposed a trial aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of cameras as both a regulatory and investigative tool.
Federal Government Support and State Initiatives
Nationally, the federal government is investing $189 million in this effort over the next four years. This funding will significantly increase safety in the childcare industry. Mr Clare said it was important to get buy-in from their state and territory counterparts. During their talk, they’ll cover an impending nationwide ban on mobile phones in childcare centres, including its implementation in September of this year. Clare focused on the importance of establishing a register for all educators, similar to the current teachers’ register.
Western Australia’s Minister for Early Childhood, Sabine Winton, had a great news day recently! The state government will allocate an extra $1 million to regulatory authorities to boost their capacity and discipline. Additionally, Winton did confirm plans to introduce a ban on mobile phones within childcare centres, though he would not be drawn on when. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns conceded that the specifics of the ban on mobile phones have yet to be worked out. He gave tremendous hope that they are close to figuring out those details.
“There’s a register for teachers; there’s not a register for educators in centres. That’s one of the other potential tools here to help keep children safe,” – Jason Clare
The federal government will also conduct 600 additional unannounced spot checks to ensure compliance and address potential fraud within childcare services. This program is intended to provide stronger, more uniform oversight across the entire sector, directly responding to an outcry about safety and regulatory conduct.
Support for CCTV Trials and Regulatory Measures
As many as 300 childcare services will take part in the trial of CCTV cameras. Early Childhood Australia CEO Samantha Page welcomed this step in the right direction but said it was important to proceed with care. She warned that while CCTV can enhance safety, it should not lead to complacency or overshadow the importance of best practices in childcare.
“Because there’s a CCTV camera in a room, that does not mean it’s okay to leave an educator alone with a child or group of children,” – Samantha Page
Page further advocated for increased financial support from the federal government to ensure that state and territory regulators are adequately resourced. She emphasized that regular rating and assessment by regulators are the key to ensuring high quality childcare.
“They [the regulators] need to be able to undertake rating and assessment more frequently,” – Samantha Page
Just about everybody loves the idea of buying safety with CCTV. As experts such as Anne Hollonds point out, it’s the human elements, the relationships, that are key. Hollonds emphasized that there needs to be a focus on recruitment practices and making safety training mandatory as key pieces in protecting children.
“These other elements [to protect children] include the recruitment of the right people … the mandatory safety childcare training. The human elements are far more important than CCTV,” – Anne Hollonds
Strengthening Child Safety Across States
The bipartisan meeting highlighted the urgency of a national response to the threats on children’s safety. Attorneys-general from various states agreed to strengthen working with children checks, ensuring that if an individual is banned in one state, they are banned in all states. Though different in tactics, this aligned movement seeks to guard children of all ages better regardless of their city or state.
John-Paul Langbroek was clear on the need for a national register for educators. He contended that it is vital for the purpose of delivering regular safety inspections across all ECE services. He explained that this program would ensure high-quality information with every new educator hired, no matter where they are.
“A national register is critical to ensure the safety of children, support all early childhood services to ensure they do the right checks, and have the right information, every time they engage an educator, no matter where they are in the country,” – John-Paul Langbroek
The discussions reflect a growing consensus that a trial of CCTV cameras should be implemented nationwide, with various stakeholders advocating for its effectiveness in safeguarding children.
“[It] will be most effective if it is implemented nationally,” – Courtney Houssos
