Compulsory safety training for Qld childcare workers

Queensland will be the first state to implement mandatory child safety training for early childhood educators after two high-profile cases of alleged child sex abuse in centres.

Safety training will be compulsory for Queensland childhood educators.

Queensland will be the first state to implement mandatory child safety training for early childhood educators, with the state government set to fast track a new program.

The snap announcement comes after Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek met with key childcare stakeholders in Cairns for the first of two urgent roundtables, prompted by last week’s arrest of a Melbourne childcare worker on 70 charges of alleged child sex abuse.

While discussions surrounding CCTV and blanket phone bans were raised, Mr Langbroek revealed his first step would be to fast track and develop a new child safety training with the Australian Centre for Child Protection.

“The incidents of the last week in Victoria, following on from that … case that came to light last year in Queensland has meant that we’ve had to have an increased focus on issues to do with child safety,” he said.

More than a dozen key players came to the table, including Queensland Family and Children’s Commission Principal Commissioner Luke Twyford, President of the Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland Majella Fitzsimmons, and the heads of major childcare providers.

Currently, all educators must undergo mandatory child protection training, which largely focuses on spotting signs of abuse at home.

The new training would hone in on keeping children safe in a childcare context, such as spotting patterns of abuse or predator behaviour.

Each educator will be required to complete the training annually.

The new rules come after an urgent round table meeting in Cairns.

Mr Langbroek said the recommendation was raised by Mr Twyford during his review of the blue card system, which was sparked by pedophile Ashley Paul Griffith, who last year was convicted last year of 307 offences including abuse of 65 young girls over a 20-year period.

A similar recommendation was made in the Royal Commission's 2017 report into child abuse.

Several providers, including Goodstart and G8, are set to install CCTV, and while Mr Langbroek would not rule out mandating or incentivising such measures, he warned against a “knee-jerk reaction”.

“Whether it’s CCTV or other issues that people want to raise, we want to make sure that we can do it appropriately and not end up with unintended consequences.”

Goodstart chief executive Ros Baxter said the training would ensure consistent, evidence-based education across the state.

“Changing the culture of organisations so that they understand the importance of child safety, that people have the right training and the right skills, is something that Queensland is really well positioned to lead on,” she said.

Key stakeholders and Mr Langbroek also backed calls for a national childcare register.

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington on Wednesday said she was working to fast-track the state’s reportable conduct scheme to begin a year earlier than planned, in July 2026.

Mr Langbroek will hold a second round table in Brisbane next week, before taking discussions to a meeting with the nations education ministers in August.