Western Australia urged to tighten regulation, as data shows most childcare abuse allegations go nowhere

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Data obtained by the ABC shows only 10% of allegations of grooming or sexual assault of children at daycare centres Western Australia in the past six years have resulted in workers being banned from the industry. Some say the figures point to a system that's broken and are calling for more states to follow New South Wales and Victoria in creating an independent regulator.

Transcript

00:00For these parents, it's been a nightmare with no end.

00:06I guess we were in disbelief at the beginning.

00:09Two years ago, they picked up their toddler from daycare and it was immediately apparent

00:13something was wrong.

00:14It was just a regular day when he picked her up.

00:18She was really visibly upset and clingy.

00:22She couldn't walk.

00:24Then more worrying symptoms emerged.

00:27She was clearly in a lot of pain.

00:29WA police investigated but found there wasn't enough evidence to lay charges, despite being

00:35aware of at least two other families raising similar concerns.

00:39They're among the dozens of WA families who've made allegations of child sexual abuse with

00:44no outcome.

00:45Over the past almost six years, there have been 109 reports of sexual abuse by childcare workers

00:51in WA.

00:52Of these, just a dozen have resulted in a prohibition notice being issued by the regulator, which

00:57bans a person from working in childcare.

01:00I'm shocked.

01:01But having spoken to families who've shared their experience of raising a concern but not

01:05seeing an outcome, I'm sadly not surprised.

01:08State and territory governments ordered snap reviews of the childcare sector after allegations

01:13emerged a Victorian childcare worker had sexually abused eight children.

01:17That incident prompted a further 2,000 children in that state to be tested for sexually transmitted

01:21diseases as a precaution.

01:23The opposition is calling for ECRO, the regulator, to be taken out of the department and made a

01:28genuine independent watchdog with more resources and more teeth.

01:32The WA government has recently appointed the state's ombudsman to oversee organisations

01:37that engage in child-related work.

01:39It says this will strengthen the existing regime and it's pledged an additional $1.1 million

01:44for the regulator.

01:45All states and territories have signed up to a national register of childcare workers with

01:50a small number of centres trialling CCTV.

01:53Parents are being urged not to shy away from important questions.

01:57What is it that you're doing, and on a day-to-day practice level, that ensures me, that can

02:02show me that my child will be safe with you?

02:05That's a really reasonable question to ask.

02:08And give children the space to talk.

02:10You also need to find ways to create avenues for children to have their voice so that they

02:15can be seen, heard and believed.

02:18These parents say it's a necessary conversation.

02:20I think it's just important that we talk about these things and we continue to discuss these

02:28issues because probably part of the problem is that it makes people uncomfortable to talk

02:36about.

02:37Stepping out of the shadows to help others.

02:39they're in the shadows.

02:52They can see it's possible that we all need to work together.

02:57They're in the shadows.

02:59They're in the shadows.

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