Banning men from childcare centres is not the answer | Lauren Novak

The sickening accusations of abuse at a Melbourne childcare centre have parents feeling fear and guilt at drop off. What can we do to keep our kids safe?

I have felt sick each morning this week as I have dropped my son off at childcare.

The words of Victorian parents have been ringing in my ears, recounting how they walked their precious babies straight into the hands of a now-alleged pedophile.

There aren’t even any men working at the centre we attend, and our kids have always been safe and happy there.

But, as I’ve led my three-year-old inside this week I’ve not been able to shake the thought that I should turn around and take him straight home.

It’s all because of Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown, who is accused of sexually assaulting at least eight infants and toddlers.

His alleged crimes have prompted some to call for a total ban on men working in childcare centres, and I can understand the impulse.

I’ve spent a large part of my career covering horrible things that men have done, in far greater numbers than women, to both strangers and people they are supposed to love.

But banning male carers is not the answer.

The childcare sector is struggling to hire enough workers as it is, without ruling out half the recruiting pool.

And let’s be clear, understaffing presents a huge risk to our kids.

In the wake of the sickening charges laid in Melbourne, there are calls to require centres to roster enough staff that no child is ever alone with a worker.

This would do more good than banning blokes. We need more eyes on our kids, and the people interacting with them, not fewer.

There are calls to ban men from working in childcare centres. Picture: iStock

I feel for the many good men working right now in childcare, school and after-school centres, who no doubt feel tarred with the same brush.

Back in the late 1980s, my favourite child-carer was a man. We loved to hear his stories and give him a big hug when we left for the day.

But what bloke who’s read the news this week would be encouraged toward a career in childcare now?

Accused childcare worker Joshua Brown. Picture Supplied

Thanks to the shocking allegations in the news this week, the spotlight has swung onto gaps in the net meant to stop predators gaining access to kids.

South Australia has a real-time monitoring system for Working With Children Checks, and anyone charged or convicted can be barred immediately.

But this only picks up what has already been reported.

If we want to detect those who intend harm we need more intensive screening.

One Adelaide firm which does this psychometric testing, PsychCheck, has consistently found 10 per cent of people who are interviewed for care roles have unsuitable beliefs or tendencies. Of those, three per cent show “very concerning” traits.

Expanding this testing across the childcare workforce would come at a significant cost, but every parent would agree it is worth it.

We also need to create a stronger “see something, say something” culture to flag worrying behaviour.

In too many cases – including the crimes of Shannon McCoole which sparked wholesale reform of SA’s child safety system – we only find out after an abuser is charged that they were exhibiting increasingly concerning behaviour.

This just emboldens predators to push the boundaries a little further next time.

Convicted child abuser Shannon McCoole. Picture: Supplied

Our children also need the skills and confidence to speak up.

Unfortunately those allegedly targeted by Joshua Brown were too young.

But, as we wait for authorities to make changes, there are things we parents can do to give our children a fighting chance of keeping themselves safe.

Even very young children can understand the “my body, my rules” message.

We can empower them to say no, and not set expectations that they give hugs or pose for photos if they don’t want to.

We can teach them to notice if someone does something that makes their tummy or their heart feel funny.

We can explain that being asked to keep a secret is a red flag.

And we can be honest with them about the fact that adults are not always right.

Originally published as Banning men from childcare centres is not the answer | Lauren Novak