An early educator continued working in the childcare sector for years despite a major provider substantiating grooming allegations.
The Victorian government is moving to cancel the man’s working with children check after details of his employment history emerged on Wednesday.
Goodstart Early Learning reported allegations to Victorian authorities in August 2020 that the worker had acted inappropriately towards children at one of its centres in the Geelong area.
Jacinta Allan says it’s unacceptable the man was able to continue working in the childcare system. (Callum Godde/AAP VIDEO)
Police decided the claims didn’t meet the criminal threshold but an internal investigation substantiated that he groomed and kissed toddlers, leading to his sacking in September 2020.
Goodstart chief executive Ros Baxter said fellow staff did the right thing in reporting their concerns of “grooming”.
“On the basis of the investigation, the person was dismissed and we also ensured that all the appropriate regulatory authorities were advised of that outcome,” she told ABC radio on Wednesday.
His working with children check was referred for review but remained valid, although he was issued a prohibition notice in 2024 after a separate, unsubstantiated allegation in 2023.
Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed a process was underway to strip the man of his clearance after details of his work history were reported by the ABC.
“It’s not acceptable that this individual has been in the system for this period of time,” Ms Allan told reporters.
Victoria’s screening system for the checks was bolstered in July after the state government ordered a review.
But the latest case was further proof the system needed to be strengthened, the “deeply angry and frustrated” premier conceded.
A more sweeping review into the state sector, led by former SA premier Jay Weatherill and veteran public servant Pamela White, will be delivered to the Victorian government on Friday.
It was rapidly set up in early July after authorities lifted the lid on Victorian childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown being charged with more than 70 sexual abuse offences.
All of the review’s recommendations will be enacted, along with the creation of a state early childhood educator register by late-August and ban on phone use in centres by late-September.
The boss of Goodstart, which has 700 centres across the country, said the review was looking at the right things, including lowering the threshold for checks to be suspended.
Dr Baxter described a national system for the checks, as well as a unified reportable conduct scheme and educators register, as the “gold standard”.
The safety of children had to be “paramount” rather than workers’ rights.
“We just feel like at the moment the systems, both in Victoria but also right across the states and territories, have not evolved to a point where we can be satisfied that that’s the case,” Dr Baxter said.
“At the moment they all have different thresholds, they all have different rules, they have different information sharing between state regulators.”
The alarming case comes after a tribunal overturned a ban on the first man found guilty of sexting in NSW holding a clearance to work with children.
The man, referred to by the pseudonym GTN, was 18 in 2008 when he asked a 13-year-old girl he went to school with to send a “hot” and “steamy” photo of herself to him.
The now 35-year-old, who is married with three children, applied for a check to volunteer at his children’s football club but was ruled a “disqualified person” by the NSW Children’s Guardian.
A NSW tribunal found a “reasonable person” would allow him to have unsupervised contact with their child and ordered a permit be granted.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
