Photo restrictions for childcare workers recommended

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A major review into child safety is calling on governments around the nation to strengthen working with children's checks - and ensure they're nationally consistent. It's one of 16 recommendations to improve safety in the early childhood sector.

Transcript

00:00 This review has made a series of recommendations to improve safety in the childcare sector.

00:08 A number of them are to do with taking photos and videos of children.

00:13 So one of the recommendations is to ban workers from being able to use their personal phones

00:19 or tablets in childcare centres around children.

00:24 The other recommendation to do with that is getting very express permission from parents

00:29 to be able to take photos and videos and being really clear about where that content might

00:34 go such as social media.

00:37 There's also a recommendation to ban e-cigarettes like alcohol and illicit drugs and tobacco

00:45 are already banned.

00:47 And there's also a recommendation for educators to be given a refresher course every two years

00:54 on child safety and that's to help identify grooming.

00:59 Now there wasn't one particular reason or incident for this review which commenced back

01:05 in May but since the review began allegations came to light about a former childcare worker

01:11 who between 2007 and 2022 worked at childcare centres in places including Brisbane and Sydney

01:21 and that person has since been charged with more than 1,600 child abuse offences.

01:28 And so because of those allegations the review points out that it's really necessary for

01:34 these urgent recommendations to be implemented.

01:38 Now what happens next is the industry will look at them and then education ministers

01:43 from right around the country will look to implement these changes in the new year.

01:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended