Childcare watchdog pushing for ban on workers’ smartphones

Photographing kids in daycare is ‘not acceptable’. The childcare regulator, ACECQA, wants to ban workers from using their smartphones on the job.

A year-long review triggered by Australia’s worst alleged pedophile attack will recommend a ban on childcare workers using personal phones on the job, including those used to send photos and videos to parents throughout the day. Picture: iStock

Daycare staff will be banned from using smartphones at work as part of a safety blitz by the childcare watchdog to prevent photos leaking online.

A year-long review triggered by Australia’s worst alleged pedophile attack on dozens of little girls will recommend a ban on workers using their personal phones on the job.

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) will send its child safety recommendations to education ministers this week.

It wants a national “register of educators” so that childcare centres can check on the employment record of staff, including criminal record checks.

The ACECQA changes – devised in consultation with the National Office for Child Safety (NOCS), the e-Safety Commissioner and the federal Department of Social Services – will require a sign-off from federal, state and territory education ministers in December.

But new rules starting this month will force all volunteers and students to obtain working with children checks, also known as blue cards, which are already required by staff.

Centres must also have policies in place to manage complaints about children exhibiting “harmful sexual behaviours’’.

Records relating to child sexual abuse must now be kept on file for 45 years, under change flowing from the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

Child protection advocate Hetty Johnson, the founder of Bravehearts and co-chair of the National Office for Child Safety’s advisory board, yesterday hailed the planned phone ban.

“About time,’’ she told The Australian.

“I’m really happy to hear they’re taking away the phones.’’

Ms Johnson called for a ban on all digital devices, including the ipads or phones that centres often use to send photos and videos to parents throughout the day.

“I know parents want to watch their children playing, but anything technology-wise can be hacked into,’’ she said.

“If the parents can see them, potentially anyone can.’’

The ban follows 1600 child sex offence charges laid against 45-year-old former childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith.

The Australian Federal Police has alleged that he filmed the alleged abuse on his mobile phone while at work.

The charges relate to the alleged sexual abuse and rape of 91 girls at 10 Brisbane childcare centres, at one Sydney centre, and at an Italian school between 2007 and 2022.

ACECQA is now planning a national register of educators, which would include early childhood teachers as well as diploma and certificate-qualified carers.

Ms Johnson hailed the push for national registration of childcare workers, but said a register must show any police investigations or disciplinary action against employees, as well as convictions and charges.

“Education departments will hopefully stop them getting jobs if they’re under investigation,’’ she said.

ACECQA is working to improve child safety in daycare centres.

The Australian Childcare Alliance, which represents centre owners, also welcomed the planned changes.

ACA vice-president Nesha Hutchinson said most centres already ban personal phones.

“It’s detrimental to your interactions with children if you’re getting messages and taking photos,’’ she said.

“Most services already have a policy that staff can’t have any digital device that would enable them to upload photos or videos.’’

ACECQA chief executive Gabrielle Sinclair told a Senate Estimates hearing last week that taking private photos of children in daycare “is not acceptable’’.

However, it is likely that staff will still be able to photograph children using centre-owned ipads, for centre records or to send photos and videos to a child’s parents.

“We certainly will be making a recommendation to education ministers that mobile phones (and) personal devices, including iPads, should not be allowed,’’ she said.

“We believe that only a service mobile phone or iPad should be used. ’’

Ms Sinclair also flagged a “digital passport’’ for carers who transfer to work interstate, to “share any information that may be of concern’’.

“We have been working with the regulatory authorities, NOCS (National Office for Child Safety) and the e-Safety Commissioner to look at a way that we can set up a National Educator register, so that we are able to share information between regulatory authorities and approved providers who employ educators and teachers,’’ she said.