Childcare centres across NSW face allegations of abuse and neglect

Parents are detailing a litany of complaints about daycare centres across Sydney including children being abused, underfed and other serious cases of neglect. SEE THE LIST.

Parents are detailing a litany of complaints about daycare centres including children being abused, underfed and other serious cases of neglect.

A Daily Telegraph analysis of more than 500 childcare centres across Sydney has found several shocking incidents of children being seriously mistreated in the past two years.

The childcare centres, which had the highest number of verified negative reviews from parents, are privately owned.

At one daycare centre in Carlingford, a mother claimed that an educator “spanked her daughter” in 2023.

The manager of the centre acknowledged the incident saying they were sorry for the “unsatisfactory experience”.

In another concerning incident at an Auburn centre, a mother alleged that her 18-month-old daughter was neglected and left in the “same nappy” for seven hours, despite educators claiming they had been regularly changing them.

“I provide different nappies to the centre to the ones I use at home, she was still in the same nappy I put on her in the morning,” she wrote.

A mother also claimed her son was on the “verge” of having a serious health incident at a Milsons Point daycare centre after staff allowed him to eat wheat and eggs, despite a disclosure of his allergies.

“Absolutely negligent centre … they failed to administer the epipen even after I requested to give it to him and delayed until he was in severe condition,” she said.

Other reports highlighted children allegedly being left unattended and attacked by other children.

“Poor supervision with increasing incidents, absent management, decreasing quality of education.” one mother said.

Parents are detailing a litany of complaints about daycare centres

Some centres were also accused of failing to provide adequate meals to kids.

“My son also said that for the food he did eat, they never put enough and he would ask for more as he was still hungry … he would be told ‘no’ and that he would have to wait until later. That is so cruel,” a parent said.

The Albanese Government has introduced urgent childcare reforms. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Albanese Government on Wednesday introduced urgent new childcare laws allowing the Commonwealth to cut funds to any operator found to be not up to scratch, and also grant officials permission to conduct random spot checks at centres without a warrant.

The reforms come after recent abuse allegations within childcare centres across the country.

Predators have been found to be routinely shapeshifting undetected and moving from centre-to-centre.

Georgie Dent, chief executive of advocacy group The Parenthood, said any incident of a child being mistreated in an early childhood education setting was “unacceptable”

“The early education and care sector has expanded very rapidly and there hasn’t been an investment in oversight and regulation in the sector,” she said.

Ms Dent said she welcomed the federal government’s reforms, saying it would force providers to “lift their game”.

“This will help address some of those issues including instances of neglect and mistreatment,” she said.

ACU’s Institute of Child Protection Studies director Professor Daryl Higgins said it was important to have a “robust” childcare system, which operated similarly to the private and public education system.

“To be able to do that there needs to be a high level of regulatory responsibility for those sectors given the vulnerability of children.”

Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email [e-mail]