The Australian childcare sector is in deep trouble. Having heard enough from parents, industry insiders, and safety experts, the NTSB is calling attention to lax safety practices and systemic failures plaguing the industry. Chey Carter, a former childcare worker turned consultant, emphasizes that merely implementing new regulations will not solve the underlying issues that compromise child safety.
Over the last few months, the entire sector has burst onto the national stage. This increase arrives as the Albanese government announces a string of child safety plans. Other legislative measures which have now been adopted include 24-hour mandatory reporting of abuse, a vape ban, and stricter rules on technology use in childcare centres. Some stakeholders, including unions and advocacy groups like Public Citizen, contend these reforms haven’t done enough to fix the fundamental issues that have long affected the industry.
Profit-Driven Concerns
Right now, over 73% of long day care services in Australia are run by for-profits. This dominance invites skepticism about how active they are as stewards of child safety and care. As Chey Carter reminds us, when financial motives drive decision-making, the urgency for appropriate protections for our children falls by the wayside.
“If we’re not fixing the foundational problems first then we are just stacking compliance on top of dysfunction,” Carter said. He launched a statewide workforce survey for New South Wales educators. That survey found that 34% of respondents were discouraged from reporting major child safety issues due to fear of retaliation.
Every day, workers communicate how they’re being put in dangerous and precarious positions. Carter noted, “Workers told us they are routinely expected to manage unsafe ratios, often left alone with groups of children leaving them unable to safely respond to incidents.” This frustration rings true across a chorus of stories told by childcare workers.
The danger of leaving children unsupervised goes far beyond ignoring the supervision standard. It is an extreme child safety threat, Carter wrote, highlighting the urgent need for reform.
Disturbing Accounts from Parents and Educators
The crisis has led to thousands of tales of heartache and struggle bombard the ABC. They’re letting people know about their shocking experiences with childcare practices. That’s exactly what our recent investigation in and around Tamworth, New South Wales found. It investigated claims that an educator had unwanted, sexualized physical contact with a child while they were asleep.
One survey respondent recounted a troubling incident: “I witnessed a staff member physically hurt a child.” Taken together, these accounts illustrate a call that’s echoing through classrooms nationwide for systemic change within the education sector.
Parents are frustrated by a lack of accountability on the part of childcare providers. One parent remarked, “Having policies does not mean that there is a culture of doing the right thing and consequences for doing the wrong thing.” This is emblematic of a larger trend among families where they increasingly feel that their worries are just blown off or shrugged aside.
Additionally, many teachers have documented their own retaliation after bringing these issues to light. One individual stated, “I provided a written statement and was told by the second-in-charge that she would follow it up… Following this, my working hours were drastically reduced.” Together, these testimonies bring attention to an intolerable culture of silence around safety issues that needs to be addressed with the utmost urgency.
Criticism of Government Response
Critics say these recent announcements from the Albanese government provide little more than piecemeal reform. They think the moves stop short of offering complete, lasting answers. Abigail Boyd criticized the incremental nature of the government’s approach: “Instead we get these piecemeal reforms that just tinker around the edges and don’t face, head on, the systemic problems that have been created by allowing big companies to prey on our children for profit.”
Georgie Dent, chief executive of The Parenthood, is passionately in favour of systemic reform. She argues those changes would go a long way toward restoring children’s safety and well-being. Advocates are demanding that the state go beyond stop gap measures and provide more sustainable, comprehensive solutions.
Anne Hollonds pointed out that “child safety should never be compromised for commercial or government administrative reasons. Currently we are taking unacceptable risks with the safety of our youngest citizens.” This powerful statement conveys the deep fear of many that without very serious and dramatic reform, children are still unsafe in these places.
Policymakers are under tremendous new pressure to address these pressing issues. The Productivity Commission has called for the establishment of a national childcare commission by September 2024. Most consider this a move in the right direction, expanding accountability and oversight in the industry.
