Horrific video of baby being slapped at Sydney childcare is just the tip of the iceberg

Warning: This story contains graphic content

Scores of accounts of horrific abuse against babies and toddlers in childcare centres have been detailed in a cache of internal regulatory documents outlining violence such as slapping, as well as negligence and safety concerns.

Several of those documents, released following a parliamentary order obtained by Greens MP Abigail Boyd and sighted by this masthead, include childcare workers forcing a child to drink their medicine from a paint cup; incidents of unreasonable discipline and corporal punishment; and a child’s body used to mop vomit.

In a separate incident first reported by ABC’s 7.30, a worker repeatedly slapped a baby, laughing as it screamed hysterically, as a second worker filmed the incident. The video was then posted to social media. That incident occurred at an Affinity Education centre in South Strathfield in Sydney’s inner west in May 2023.

The abuse is just the tip of the iceberg, however, breaches in childcare settings are rarely prosecuted.

Another childcare worker who used a child to mop up the toddler’s vomit, then wiped the child’s face with their vomit-covered pants, had a ban prohibiting them from working in care and education lifted after appealing to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).

The incident occurred at Milestones Early Learning in Raby, owned by Affinity Education, in southwest Sydney on November 3, 2023. According to an enforcement notice from the state regulatory agency seen by this masthead, the child, who was under two years old, was picked up by the childcare worker and moved from side to side so that their bottom cleaned the vomit from the floor.

The worker then “forcefully” handled the child while removing their pants, pulling the child from their legs, causing them to fall from their hands and knees to their stomach, before using the soiled pants to wipe the child’s face.

The worker claimed she wasn’t aware there were CCTV cameras, hoped she could still hold her position as room leader, didn’t realise what she was doing at the time, and was “sorry” for her actions.

Greens MP Abigail Boyd.Credit: Brook Mitchell

An Affinity Education Group spokesperson confirmed the worker, who was on probation, was stood down immediately and that the organisation self-reported the incident.

“Affinity has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of child harm and will dismiss employees found to be in breach of this safeguard, as well as engage with external agencies up to and including police where required,” the spokesperson said.

The organisation has since implemented an intensive support program for centres with compliance issues.

The Raby and South Strathfield workers involved in the baby-slapping incident were sacked.

The regulator permanently banned the two South Strathfield workers from working in the sector, with one convicted of common assault and the other charged with two offences before the courts.

Documents from the regulator show the Raby worker was banned for one year, but appealed her prohibition order in NCAT, claiming financial distress. Following tribunal proceedings, the regulatory agency agreed that the risk could be managed by the worker completing a respectful relationship education course and seeking a mentor.

‘Toothless’ regulator

Parliamentary data shows 70 breaches were not pursued as prosecutions between 2020 and 2024 due to plea negotiations, meaning childcare centres, workers, and the regulatory agency within the Department of Education agreed on remedial steps instead of penalties.

Boyd said no penalty greater than $2000 was issued over the four-year period.

“The NSW regulator has shown itself to have no teeth, let alone a bite. The persistent light touch approach by the regulator towards behaviour that would rightly horrify members of the public shows a regulatory culture wildly out of step with public expectations … they have failed to act appropriately in response to so many incidents that the average person would be horrified by,” the Greens MP said.

“Just how bad do things need to get before the regulator acts in any meaningful way? Children live with the consequences of this bad behaviour forever, yet these private operators get to walk away unscathed.”

In a statement posted online, Affinity Education Group chief executive Tim Hickey said the allegations raised were “serious and troubling”.

“I want to express again how profoundly sorry I am that something like this could occur to any child in our care. It is something that never should have happened,” he said.

“While even a single failing is one too many, it is also important to acknowledge these incidents are not representative of the dedicated, professional team who care for children every day across thousands of centres … I would like to reassure all families, and our team, of the care and concern with which we treat matters like this.”

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said the sector required a “significant clean-up”, adding that centre inspections had increased nine per cent under the current government.

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