Amara Jaroudi awaits sentence for using unreasonable discipline at Sydney childcare centre

A former childcare educator who force fed children until they vomited, kept them in highchairs for hours and yanked their arms unsuccessfully tried to have her charges dismissed in court.

Childcare educator Amara Jaroudi has pleaded guilty to subjecting children to unreasonable discipline. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

A former childcare educator who force fed children until they vomited, kept them in highchairs for hours and yanked their arms unsuccessfully tried to have her charges dismissed under mental health grounds for the third time.

Amara Jaroudi and her boss Thomas Fanous, who was owner of the childcare service, have pleaded guilty to several counts of using unreasonable discipline and failing to keep children safe.

Agreed facts tendered to court said Fanous was the sole director of the childcare company while Jaroudi was a senior staff member.

The charges relate to eight children who attended the centre over a seven-month period.

Alarmingly, three children were force fed on a number of occasions where Jaroudi would hold the child’s chin and spoon food into their mouths until full.

Childcare centre owner Thomas Fanous, pictured with his lawyers, has pleaded guilty to neglecting children under the care of the centre he owned. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

If they didn’t swallow, she squirted water into their mouth which caused vomiting, with Jaroudi putting one child’s head into a garbage bin while he threw up.

Two children were kept in highchairs for up to six hours a day and would only be removed for nappy changes, photos of rest time or when parents collected them.

One child became so distressed in the highchair he would hit himself and cry.

Court documents revealed another girl fell onto the floor and had a lump on her head because she was placed into a broken highchair.

This was done despite a clear policy that stated children were only allowed to be in highchairs for meal times and that they must be checked daily for safety.

Jaroudi yanked several of the children by the arm, dragged and pinched them and threw them on the floor while she covered the mouth of one child who was crying.

Amara Jaroudi, Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

A mother’s complaint about marks on her child was not reported to the regulatory authority, while a 16-year-old educator was left unsupervised with the children despite not completing training.

The services’ policy stated corporal punishment, intimidation, or isolation was “never to be used” and if children displayed “inappropriate behaviour” a plan should be made with parents and other professionals.

The Department of Education laid charges against the company and Fanous pleaded guilty to eight counts of ensure there was no unreasonable discipline, failing to notify the regulatory authority of a complaint that the national law had been contravened, failing to ensure protections were in place so children were harmed or at risk of hazard, not ensuring an educator was supervised and failing to operate the service that ensured the safety, health and wellbeing of children.

Jaroudi pleaded guilty to seven counts of a staff member subjecting a child to unreasonable discipline.

The court heard originally made a mental health application which was refused in December last year before she pleaded guilty.

In February, Magistrate Julie Zaki accepted Jaroudi had a mental health impairment and had sought counselling however noted the offences were “of a very serious nature” and refused an application to divert her into the care of a psychologist rather than have her charges dealt with at law.

Jaroudi will be sentenced next month.

On Tuesday, Magistrate Hugh Donnelly noted new material had been tendered by the defence compared to the previous mental health application.

That material included the frequency Jaroudi was working, a letter from her father, a bank statement about her financial means and a previous media article published by this publication.

Jaroudi’s lawyer Roland Keller submitted his client worked 100 hours per fortnight at the time of the offending and that made her “overwhelmed” and “unable to cope”.

Mr Donnelly did not accept the submission the offences were not serious or were “low level,” particularly given she faced a maximum fine of $10,000 for each charge.

He determined “general deterrence” was an important element to ensure the safety, health and well being of children attending care services.

Mr Donnelly said the submission that Jaroudi lost her job and the media article published did not amount to additional punishment before he refused to grant the application.

During sentencing submissions, Mr Keller asked Mr Donnelly to consider Jaroudi’s youth; her mental health conditions and grief after the death of her grandmother.

Mr Keller further submitted she was promoted to a manager beyond her capabilities despite having the relevant qualification.

Jaroudi will be sentenced on May 3.