Concerns about childcare classroom CCTV divides parents

CCTV camera use in daycare centres has sparked concerns among childcare workers about privacy and trust and has divided parents who have debated the necessity and potential risks involved.

CCTV cameras at daycare centres has sparked concerns among childcare workers about privacy and trust and divided parents who have debated the necessity and potential risks involved.

A debate has sparked between concerned mothers and a childcare worker after fulltime CCTV was introduced at a Brisbane daycare centre - in what is reportedly an increasing trend.

An anonymous childcare employee said she was told CCTV would be installed in every room of her workplace in early 2024.

“I feel torn about having it there watching me all day, even though I personally know I am doing my job to the highest standard and am following all rules and regulations,” the employee said.

“I feel like I am being betrayed in a way,” she said.

But one Brisbane mother said she agreed CCTV should be installed to watch over staff.

“If you’re doing your job it shouldn’t bother you, my kids being correctly looked after is more important than the teachers feeling uncomfortable,” the mother said.

Chris Buck owns Brisbane City Child Care and spoke to Quest News about camera use in daycare centres — he said his centre had used cameras for 20 years.

“Having been in the industry for 35 years, cameras assist with risk management in the facility,” Mr Buck said.

Chris Buck has used CCTV for 20 years at his childcare centre.

“With images you can never get a complete picture, you don’t know what’s happened before and outside of the image position, what has happened might be out of show so it can’t always provide definite answers (when investigating an incident).

“We’re a multi story centre and we use the cameras to be aware of events such as fires, if a staff member becomes injured and to keep consistent footage of the treatment of children.

“We are the best and we do it for the best reasons, not fashion reasons,” he said.

Brisbane City Child Care introduced thermal imaging cameras as Covid-19 began.

“We were able to immediately identify if a child with a high temperature was entering the centre, it sets an alarm off,” Mr Buck said.

“During the pandemic we were not once in lockdown,” he said.

Brisbane childcare educator Ellie Quinn said the centre she worked at did not have CCTV in classrooms.

“It has been discussed but not implemented,” Miss Quinn said.

“It would make me feel safer to be able to back up any uncomfortable situations which arise and provide evidence if complaints arise,” she said.

Some parents have said constant CCTV of their children could pose a “threat” to their safety.

Wynnum mother Lauren Jayne Larsen said CCTV cameras are normalised in many other workplaces.

“Any cash handling businesses such as Coles or retail have cameras, pubs have cameras,” Ms Larsen said.

“My workplace has cameras and I’m in a corporate environment,” she said.

Another Brisbane mother said she would prefer for centres to rely on social or real-time surveillance rather than CCTV footage.

“Unfortunately, a lot of parents (me included) feel very shaken ... and feel more comfortable with surveillance being the norm, I’m sorry it has come to this,” Ms Fraser said.

Bayside mother Claire Naghten Boothby said she was against cameras in a daycare setting.

“It’s meant to protect children but it just opens them up to a whole new risk of footage being accessed,” Ms Boothby said.

“Instead of being worried about the potential of [a worker], the images could potentially be hacked [by an outsider] and seen by thousands.

“As a parent I’d be asking for guarantees around the security of those camera streams,” she said.

Mr Buck said having worked in the technology space for more than 50 years, he was aware of the risks arise with the use of cameras in a childcare setting.

“Our facility has been camera monitored from the outset and they will never be made available to the families or online,” Mr Buck said.

“We will never stream our footage to parents or to a public platform,” he said.