Urgent need for mandatory prevention education in Working with Children Check

Premier and Police reveal extensive childcare sexual abuse case

Victoria Police have today identified a childcare worker, charged with 70 sexual offenses against children in 20 childcare centres across Melbourne. This is one of the most significant and far-reaching cases of child sexual abuse ever seen in a childcare setting in Australia. It demonstrates the systemic failures in the Working with Children Check (WWCC) scheme that continue to facilitate violence and life-long harm towards children and young people across Australia.

Acknowledging the perpetrator held a valid WWCC while committing these serious offences, Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allen has this morning recognised a need to review the scheme. Australian Childhood Foundation, alongside survivor and advocate, Emma Håkansson have tirelessly called on state and federal governments, including in Victoria, to act swiftly to embed mandatory child abuse prevention education into the WWCC.

The Foundation’s recently released report, ‘More than a check: Enhancing the WWCC scheme to strengthen the safety net around children’, was informed by the voices of over 350 survivors of child sexual abuse. It found that a lack of adult awareness and education was a common thread in their experiences of abuse. Survivors consistently reported that adults around them missed clear warning signs—often because they didn’t know what to look for or how to take action.

“This case reminds us of a harsh reality. As a screening tool the Working with Children Check will never be able to keep all unsafe adults away from children: perpetrators are just too conniving. As a survivor of child sexual abuse by an adult who also held a Working with Children Check, I know this all too well.” said Emma Håkansson, survivor and lead advocate.

“However, the Check could be a tool to arm every other safe adult working with children to spot dangers, and to know how to keep children safe from harm, if the Check included mandatory child abuse prevention and intervention training. If this training had existed, maybe some of this harm could have been stopped.”

Over the past two years, the Foundation and Håkansson have advocated with the Federal and State Attorney-General’s offices as well as relevant Ministers, to encourage this reform both nationally and in Victoria where these alleged offences have taken place. They have continued to urge governments to act on the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which called for national harmonisation of the WWCC.

Janise Mitchell, CEO of Australian Childhood Foundation, said: “We can’t always stop people who want to harm children from slipping through the cracks. But Governments must act to ensure that the adults around children are trained to recognise risk, respond appropriately, and act to protect them. This is how we shift the burden of protection away from children—where it never should have been in the first place.”

“Every child deserves to be protected from harm,” Mitchell added. “And every adult working with children should be empowered to do their part.”

The Victorian Government has announced a support website and hotline for families who may be affected while Police and health services continue investigation. For any families who may be concerned, please visit https://www.vic.gov.au/childcare-centres-investigation or contact 1800 791 241.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Janise Mitchell
CEO, Australian Childhood Foundation
Phone: 0409 740 868
Email: jmitchell@childhood.org.au

Emma Håkansson
Phone: 0401 629 297
Email: ehakansson@childhood.org.au

Cait Wilding
Marketing Manager, Australian Childhood Foundation
Phone: 0428 955 871
Email: cwilding@childhood.org.au