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Victoria’s urgent childcare review recommendations unveiled: major reforms but no ‘silver bullet’ to stop ‘dangerous individuals’ Childcare needs a ‘fundamental reset’ to improve safety. These are Victoria’s key recommendations
(about 3 hours later)
Allan government commits to accepting all 22 recommendations, with several also directed at federal government State to accept all 22 recommendations as federal government releases names of 30 childcare centres subject to compliance action
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Major reforms to working with children checks, a new database and regulator, more unannounced visits to childcare centres and an urgent rethink of how the entire early childhood education system is funded have been recommended as part of Victoria’s urgent review into the childcare sector. Major reforms to working with children checks, more unannounced visits to childcare centres and a rethink of the reliance on for-profit providers are among the recommendations in an urgent review into childcare services in Victoria.
The review, written by the former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and senior Victorian bureaucrat Pam White, was released in full by the state government on Wednesday. The review, written by the former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and senior Victorian bureaucrat Pam White, was released by the state government on Wednesday.
The Victorian government ordered the review after it was revealed in July that childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown had been charged with sexually abusing eight children, aged between five months and two years. Half of the 22 recommendations were directed at the federal government, which separately on Wednesday released the names of 30 childcare centres it has taken compliance action against under new powers that passed parliament last month.
While the review, which was general in nature, warned there was “no silver bullet” to “prevent dangerous individuals” from working in the sector, it found the system required a “fundamental reset” to improve child safety. The Victorian government ordered the rapid child safety review after it was revealed in July that childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown had been charged with sexually abusing eight children, aged between five months and two years.
The review, which was general in nature, warned there was “no silver bullet” to “prevent dangerous individuals” from working in the sector, but it found the system required a “fundamental reset” to improve child safety.
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The review said responsibilities for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) system were currently split between federal and state and territory governments. It found that in Victoria, several government departments and agencies were involved in its regulation, leading to “gaps”. It said responsibility for early childhood education and care (ECEC) was split between federal and state and territory governments, and in Victoria, numerous departments and agencies regulated it, creating “gaps”.
“The review heard repeatedly about the ‘breadcrumbs’ that can be missed by the failure to piece information together,” it read. The premier, Jacinta Allan, has commited $42m to implementing all 22 recommendations by the end of the year.
It made 22 recommendations, with the Victorian government committing to accepting all of them. Several of the recommendations were directed at the federal government. She apologised that the trust parents had placed in childcare centres had been “horribly broken” by recent allegations.
For-profit has grown, but the rules have not kept up “I am truly sorry. I just can’t imagine the unbearable pain and hurt those families must be experiencing, particularly as a mum,” Allan said.
“As premier, I can do everything in my power to act.”
For-profit childcare has grown but rules haven’t kept up
The review found the ECEC sector had undergone “rapid growth” over the past decade. In Victoria, the number of long day care services had grown by 60% since 2015, from 1,280 to 2,049. Of the 726 new services, 94% were operated by for-profit providers.The review found the ECEC sector had undergone “rapid growth” over the past decade. In Victoria, the number of long day care services had grown by 60% since 2015, from 1,280 to 2,049. Of the 726 new services, 94% were operated by for-profit providers.
But it said there had not been a “coherent plan” to manage this growth. But it said there hadn’t been a “coherent plan” to manage this growth.
“Rather, the market has been left to respond to financial incentives that encourage providers to open services and charge high fees, but does not drive investment in quality, safety or in a stable, capable and well-supported workforce,” it read.“Rather, the market has been left to respond to financial incentives that encourage providers to open services and charge high fees, but does not drive investment in quality, safety or in a stable, capable and well-supported workforce,” it read.
This had led to “significant workforce challenges including shortages, casualisation and the use of labour hire, and high turnover rates”. This had led to “significant workforce challenges including shortages, casualisation and the use of labour hire and high turnover rates”.
The review recommended the commonwealth lead an “urgent rethink” of ECEC – including its current funding model – to address these issues, as well as establish a “time-limited” early childhood reform commission. The review recommended the commonwealth lead an “urgent rethink” of ECEC – including its “current funding model and reliance on the market” – to address these issues, as well as establish a “time-limited” early childhood reform commission to ensure reforms were delivered.
The commonwealth was also urged to set up a national early childhood worker register, covering all ECEC staff across Australia, and change the law to give state regulators the power to deregister individuals. The commonwealth was also urged to establish a national early childhood worker register, covering all ECEC staff in Australia, and give state regulators the power to deregister individuals.
The Albanese government has already committed to a national register, though Victoria has set up its own in the interim, due to the “frustratingly slow” pace of federal reform. The Albanese government has already committed to a national register, although Victoria has set up its own in the interim, due to the “frustratingly slow” pace of federal reform.
Working with children’s checks Working with children checks
In Victoria, the review recommended an “overhaul” of the working with children check (WWCC) scheme to allow an individual’s clearance to be suspended or refused when there were “credible allegations or patterns of concerning behaviour with children”, such as unsubstantiated information or intelligence from police. In Victoria, the review recommended an “overhaul” of the working with children check (WWCC) scheme to allow a worker’s clearance to be suspended or refused when there were “credible allegations or patterns of concerning behaviour with children”.
It said the current system was “rigid” and relied solely on criminal history or substantiated findings to revoke a WWCC, meaning “red flags” such as “pattern of behaviour or repetition of incidents” were “missed”. It said individuals should be reassessed if new allegations were made.
Anyone applying for a WWCC should be required to complete online child safety training and testing, the review said, in what it described as an Australian first.
The review also recommended urgent legislative changes to the reportable conduct scheme – to give it the power to share unsubstantiated allegations with other relevant regulators and agencies, remove its discretion not to share substantiated findings and to recognise findings or investigations in other states and territories.
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It said the reportable conduct scheme, managed by the Commission for Children and Young People, and the WWCC screening authority, which sits within the Department of Government Services, must be merged into a single entity. This could include unsubstantiated allegations made through the reportable conduct scheme, which it also recommended be given more powers to share information.
This entity should also mange a new database to “bring child safety risk information together in one place”. It also recommends the reportable conduct scheme, managed by the Commission for Children and Young People, and the WWCC screening authority, which sits within the Department of Government Services, be merged into a single entity. This entity would oversee a database for the sector.
“The safe use of artificial intelligence should be looked at to allow new information to be quickly scanned and patterns of concerning behaviour identified,” it said. It described this as “one of the most critical changes that must happen” to ensure information is “able to be seen and acted upon”.
It described this as “one of the most critical changes that must happen” to ensure the “breadcrumbs” were “able to be seen and acted upon”.
An independent regulatorAn independent regulator
The review also recommended setting up an independent ECEC regulator, removing it from the Department of Education, where it currently sits, to “avoid conflicts of interest”. The review also recommended making the ECEC regulator independent by removing it from the Department of Education..
It said this regulator should apply the “most rigorous inspection regime in the country”, conducting unannounced visits “at least once per service every 12 months”. The review found that these checks were currently conducted every two years. It said this regulator should apply the “most rigorous inspection regime in the country”, by doubling unannounced visits from once every two years to once a year.
It also urged that this regulator be appropriately funded, with the commonwealth to “play its part”, given it stopped contributing financially in 2018. It also urged that it be appropriately funded, with the commonwealth to “play its part”, given it stopped contributing financially in 2018.
Improve centre environment Victoria’s minister for children, Lizzie Blandthorn, said this was one of her “priorities” for the meeting of the nation’s education ministers on Friday.
The review also made several recommendations to improve safety at a centre level. Improve centre safety
It called for a federal review into staffing arrangements, including “consideration of a ‘four eyes’ rule of two adults visible to each other while with children”, as well as funding to help centres undertake renovations to create “clear lines of sight”. The review also made several recommendations to improve safety at a centre level. They included a federal review of staffing arrangements and “consideration of a ‘four eyes’ rule of two adults visible to each other while with children”, as well as grants to help centres undertake renovations to create “clear lines of sight”.
It said centres should ensure all new staff, casuals and labour hire staff undergo background checks and contact their two previous employers, even when not listed as referees. While the review said there were mixed views on the efficacy of CCTV in centres, it recommended a national 12-month trial to evaluate its use as a regulatory and investigative tool.
It also urged mandatory child safety training and for the federal government to fund time for staff to undergo further training and stamp out “poor quality registered training organisations”. It said calls to ban or restrict male childcare workers were “not the right way to address safety concerns” and had “deeply affected many male educators in the sector”.
But the review said it was difficult to reach a consensus on the use of CCTV in centres, citing concerns around data security and access, privacy of children and efficacy. Its authors said “investment in staffing and workforce capabilities should be prioritised”, though it recommended a 12-month trial, focusing on its use as a “regulatory and investigative tool”. “All people, men included, should be encouraged to join the ECEC workforce, and contribute to educating and caring for children,” it read.
Both the Greens and the opposition have said the government shouldn’t have waited for a crisis to act and pointed to an ombudsman report that recommended changes to WWCCs three years ago.