‘Can’t guarantee the safety of children’: Childcare staff sound alarm on regulation gap

Childcare staff have sounded the alarm on the regulation loophole leaving children at risk and pushing workers to breaking point.

Children are at risk of harm and workers are at breaking point as centres breach staffing ratios and cut corners on safety, educators claim.

A United Workers Union (UWU) survey of 2000 childcare workers found educators “can’t guarantee the safety of children” amid understaffing and a push to maximise profits.

Three-quarters of educators say centres are operating below minimum staffing levels, with 42 per cent saying it happens every day.

The survey, which included responses from 600 Victorian early learning educators, found for-profit centres were more likely to exploit loopholes in a bid to cut costs.

A total of 53 per cent of workers surveyed said for-profit providers either “placed a low priority on quality education, safety and care of children, or did not consider it at all”.

Victorian workers surveyed said children were “inadequately supervised”, staff were “overworked mentally and physically” and there was “an increase in negative and unsafe behaviour in children” such as hitting, pushing, biting, risk-taking”.

Only 2.3 per cent of Victorian childcare centres have official staff waivers, but UWU early learning director Carolyn Smith said a “staffing loophole is being widely exploited and educators are regularly left understaffed in their rooms”.

Centres are exploiting a regulation gap by moving staff between rooms and counting those who are not in charge of children, leading to a rise in safety incidents.

Serious incidents such as the death or escape of a child in Victorian childcare centres have increased from 86 per 100 services in 2016/17 to 126 per 100 in 2023/24.

The survey, which included responses from 600 Victorian early learning educators, found for-profit centres were more likely to exploit loopholes.

Australian Catholic University Institute of Child Protection Studies director Professor Daryl Higgins said there were valid concerns and questions to be raised about the application of a business model to the care of children.

“We know that businesses operating on a for-profit basis are accountable to shareholders for a surplus to continue operating,” he said.

“That’s not to say all for-profit centres aren’t doing the right thing. Many are not just meeting, but exceeding standards.”

Discussions surrounding the viability and quality of for-profit childcare services remerged after alleged pedophile Joshua Brown, who worked across 20 for-profit centres, was charged with 70 offences relating to child sexual abuse.

Centres are exploiting a regulation gap by moving staff between rooms and counting those who are not in charge of children. Photo: iStock

Meanwhile, mum Ayeesha Montalti, who sends her son to Bulldogs Community Children’s Centre located at Whitten Oval in Footscray, is calling on major companies who are considering investing in for-profit childcare to re-evaluate their priorities.

It comes as the Maribyrnong Council gave the Western Bulldogs the green light to vary the terms of the lease for a childcare centre within the Whitten Oval precinct which would allow them to source a for-profit partner.

The move has ignited fears a for-profit centre could force the current Bulldogs Community not-for-profit childcare centre to close, which Ms Montalti said could have a detrimental impact on local kids.

“Private centres can be quite harmful because some prioritise financial returns for shareholders over kids’ wellbeing, which leads to overall pretty poor quality, systemic issues and safety breaches,” she said.

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.