Rules around childcare transport explained after Gracemere incident

As Education Minister Grace Grace promises a departmental investigation after a child was left on a childcare centre bus in central Queensland, State Political Editor Jessica Marszalek explains the safeguards centres are now required to have in place.

Education Minister Grace Grace says the tragic case of a three-year-old girl being left on a child care bus should “never have happened” and her department will work with police to investigate.

Ms Grace said laws had been toughened and an education campaign had rolled out to make childcare operators cognisant of their responsibilities following the death of Maliq Nicholas Lloyd Namok-Malamoo, 3, on a childcare bus in Cairns in 2020.

Le Smileys at Gracemere will be closed for the rest of the week after a three-year-old girl was found in a critical condition in a parked bus.

“My heart goes out to the child in Gracemere who is fighting for her life,” she said.

“My thoughts are also with her family, friends and the entire Gracemere community.

“I am confident I speak for all Queenslanders when I say we are wishing her a full and speedy recovery.

“This simply should not have happened.”

She said Education Queensland, as the regulatory authority, was working with Queensland police “to ensure we gather all of the facts surrounding this tragic event”.

“The Regulatory Authority does not hesitate to take serious action when services fail to ensure children’s health and safety, and where other tragic incidents have occurred, the necessary action has been taken,” she said.

Nevaeh, 3, was flown to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane in a critical condition.

She said a Look Before you Lock behavioural-change campaign following the 2020 fatality had seen the numbers of children left of buses significantly reducing.

“However one child is still too many,” she said.

“So I remind everyone again to look before you lock.

“It’s a simple practice that must be followed every single time.”

There were 850 regulatory visits to childcare services in the January to March quarter this year, down from 969 the previous quarter.

The department said that was due to flood and Covid interruptions and closures that meant some visits were postponed.

HOW CHILDCARE TRANSPORT WORKS

When are kids transported?

Centres can offer pick-up and drop-off that transport children from home to their class and home again. Children might also go on excursions to places like parks, a local library or to swimming lessons during the day.

What are the centre’s responsibilities?

Supervisors and educators have responsibilities stipulated by law to ensure children are safe when transported. They range from ensuring adequate supervision during the journey, that appropriate car seats are used and that children are accounted for. Training is mandatory and transport procedures are meant to be rehearsed at least quarterly and recorded.

A police officer on the scene at Gracemere on Wednesday afternoon.

What are educators meant to do when disembarking?

The centre must have a designated ‘checker’, who may be a person travelling on the vehicle or may come out to meet the bus from inside the centre on its return. The supervisor or driver should remove all children from the vehicle, and the supervisor must conduct a headcount and roll call. The children should be escorted into the centre and signed in as they are sighted, not before or after. After that, there is another headcount and roll call.

Once the children are inside, the driver must conduct a thorough search of the vehicle that includes under the seats, in the luggage racks and in any storage areas. Then they must conduct a second check that includes all of those areas again. Those checks must be recorded on paper, signed by the person who has done them and kept to show to regulators.

What happens if a child is unaccounted for?

The vehicle and centre must be immediately searched, and the location of the excursion, if relevant. The child’s family and police must be called if the child can’t be found.

Minister for Education Grace Grace says there will be an investigation into the incident at Gracemere.