A childcare worker has been charged with abusing eight children at a regional daycare centre, one of three staffers to be arrested for child abuse in NSW in as many days.
It comes as a concerned mother demanded answers about one of the alleged offenders, who worked multiple shifts at her child’s inner-Sydney centre, saying she and other parents had been kept in the dark about when he worked there.
Three childcare workers were arrested across three days for child abuse in NSW, with more than 10 child victims identified so far.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
A 51-year-old man who worked at a centre in Glen Innes in the Northern Tablelands was arrested last Wednesday and charged with intentionally sexually touching a child under 10 years against eight victims.
The worker had been employed at the centre for 12 months. It’s understood the alleged offences occurred recently, were reported quickly and all families who attended the centre have been notified.
He pleaded not guilty at Inverell Local Court that same day. He was granted conditional bail and must stay away from the suburb, schools and childcare centres and report to police daily.
The next day, Sydney daycare worker Quoc Phu Tong was arrested and charged with alleged sexual touching of a young child at Only About Children in Seaforth, and common assault.
Tong’s Legal Aid solicitor said his alleged offending was on the “lowest end of this type of serious conduct” because the alleged touching was on the outside of the clothing. He was refused bail.
Finally, last Friday, another Sydney childcare worker was charged with more than 10 counts of child abuse after allegedly filming himself abusing young boys while in the classroom and bathroom.
The man, in his 20s, also allegedly pleasured himself in a classroom in front of children.
The three cases of alleged abuse are unrelated, but have left parents distraught and seeking answers.
One mother whose child attends Only About Children in Redfern said she and other parents haven’t been told which dates Tong, who was employed as a casual, worked there.
She had also raised concerns about the centre’s staffing and conduct two months before Tong was reported to police.
In an email to the centre, dated July 1, the mother said she found a student in her son’s nursery, and while she was aware students were observing on campus, she had been told they would be in different classrooms. The room leader said she did not know the student’s name.
On September 18, the woman wrote a complaint to Only About Children’s head office.
She said that on “multiple occasions” she noticed unfamiliar individuals, who she believed to be students and casual staff, in the nursery without any prior or subsequent notification.
She also raised concerns about finding educators changing nappies unsupervised and requested clarity on the centre’s policies around casual educators, student involvement and nappy changing procedures.
It is not suggested that other offences occurred during these incidents, only that concerns were raised.
A spokesperson for Only About Children said the organisation maintained a pool of casual educators to address fluctuating resource requirements, and all workers had a Working With Children Check and were qualified, or working towards a qualification.
“We have robust policies in place regarding nappy changes which are consistent with practice throughout the childcare sector. These policies include that for the vast majority of instances only permanent or regular casuals to the centre are involved in this practice,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said short-notice staff changes, as in the case of illness, meant updating parents on casual staff wasn’t always possible.
The organisation is working with investigating authorities to seek approval to release further information about Tong’s shifts.
“[We] apologise to the parents for the distress this incident has created,” the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education, the regulator for early childhood education and care services, said it took “immediate and strong action” in each of the matters and prohibited the three alleged offenders from working in any education and care service within Australia.
“We continue to work closely with law enforcement and other agencies to support investigations and ensure children’s safety,” the spokesperson said.
“We are currently engaged in a number of processes to improve child safety in NSW, including through the Child Safety Review, a national approach with a particular focus on reducing harm, including abuse and neglect in early childhood education and care.”
If you or anyone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (and see lifeline.org.au), 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.