Push for Working With Children Check change: ‘It’s awful to think that my children would have been at risk’

Babysitting and nanny agency heads are calling for change over a major flaw that allows interstate criminals and parents who have had their own children taken away care for other people’s.

Inadequate checks in the child safety system are allowing people with serious child protection rulings against them to look after other people’s children, experts warn.

Babysitting and nanny agency heads say flaws in the Working With Children Check (WWCC) process allow interstate criminals and those not able to look after their own children to care for babies, toddlers and children at home.

Experts have warned of inadequate checks in the child safety system. Picture: iStock

Under the current rules, a WWCC only takes into ­account child protection information if the issue has escalated to a criminal charge or a substantiated professional disciplinary finding.

Australian Nanny Association founder Annemarie Sansom agreed that ­unless a worker had a criminal record or a notification, a child protection issue would not show up.

“The Working With Children Check (WWCC) is not perfect because it’s not a national system, people can move between states and it’s not ­always properly checked ­between states,” she said.

“Things like drug and ­alcohol offences would set red flags for us as an agency, that’s why we get people to do a ­national police check.”

The Working With Children Check is not ­always properly checked ­between states.

Often parents searching for nannies at the last minute were not affording agencies the necessary time to do “due diligence” in finding suitable nannies and running full background checks, especially when sourcing from online ­forums, she said.

It comes as parents, state premiers and child-safety ­experts call for a ­national WWCC, better auditing and a one-strike policy for workers who fail a safety check.

National attention has turned to the dangerous shortcomings of the child safety system after it was revealed alleged childcare pedophile Joshua Dale Brown’s WWCC was never re-examined after it was approved by Victorian authorities.

This was despite reports submitted to the Victorian ­reportable conduct scheme that he forcibly grabbed children on two occasions.

Alleged childcare pedophile Joshua Dale Brown’s WWCC was never re-examined after it was approved by Victorian authorities. Picture: Channel 9

State tribunals are also overturning bans on workers, giving serious criminals the right to care for kids again.

The additional child protection loophole was revealed by one Melbourne mother who hired a sitter from an agency to look after her two primary-school aged children.

The nanny told her after a placement: “It was really nice looking after kids again, ­because the department has taken mine.”

The mother recalled her feelings of horror.

“I was really shocked to think that someone who had their own children taken away was free to look after mine — it’s always played on my mind,” she said.

The mother said the agency advertised its carers as having the Working With Children Check, a police check and first aid qualifications, but this “doesn’t mean the system is hole free”.

“They obviously don’t crosscheck with child protection, and it’s awful to think that my children would have been at risk,” she said.

One mum says she was shocked someone who had their own children taken away was free to look after her kids. Picture: iStock

City Babysitters manager Margaret Johri said there was “no way to access information (about child protection issues) under the privacy act”.

“There is no system in place to check on these things. I believe the whole WWCC system needs a complete revamp,” she said.

Ashwood mum Nicole Paino-Green said she wanted the standard of checks for babysitters and nannies ­increased.

“If we had to use a babysitter and have someone in our home – Archie’s safest place – we would want to be sure they have been appropriately vetted to keep our home as safe as possible,” she said.

“It’s us placing our trust in other people, and the standard of employment checks ­required.”

Ashwood mum Nicole Paino-Green wants the standard of checks for babysitters and nannies ­increased. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Annie Sargood, director of Melbourne’s Leading Nanny Agency, said her nannies were required to undergo a police check but they could only see if a WWCC had been issued or taken away, with no detail available.

“The Australian Nanny ­Association and every member has been really irritated by the fact that WWCC is not a national thing and you can’t crosscheck between states, it doesn’t show anything other than child-related offences,” she said.

“We still have to get them to do a police check as well so we can look at their history. The two are not crossed over and it’s ridiculous.”

Peas In A Pod Agency owner Emma Wright-Smith said she would be “mortified if a family rang me and asked why didn’t I know that a nanny could not see her own children any more?”

“Information like that should come out and it will come out because we are asking the right questions,” she said.

The WWCC in Victoria checks the criminal history of person-centred crimes that pose an unacceptable risk to children. This includes convictions, charges, and findings of guilt for serious sexual, violent, or drug-related offences.

It also checks professional conduct findings from prescribed bodies like the Commissioner for Children and Young People and the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Originally published as Push for Working With Children Check change: ‘It’s awful to think that my children would have been at risk’