Who will protect the children? We as parents have to step up to defend and bring change…but we to work together as the NDIS is working more for the Providers and doing less for those who have disabilities
I was at a coffee shop recently where I talked to a mother whose three year old had her arm in a sling. I have never seen a young child with their arm in a sling before I commented as her mum was comforting her as she was in pain. I know she said she has a fracture arm and shes in a lot of pain - it happened at day care they said they didn’t see what happened the childcare workers. Oh that’s so similar to disabilities care where my son was harmed by a worker - you don’t really know whats happening I said especially if there are no cameras. There were no cameras as this daycare this mother agreed too we need them. I noted to her there had been a lot about daycare places not looking after kids lately in the news and being investigated. I felt sorry for the parents of this little girl who can you trust with your children when they are let to be hurt or have accidents with no supervision occurring then since no one saw what happened. For shame. I know I can never trust disability providers again after my son was hurt at two different providers day program and respite. Bruises not accounted for and denied.
Today I saw a news article again the 7.30 report by ABC and there also was a parent whose child had their arm fractured again a little three year old but his arm had been twisted so much the doctor said it caused the fracture by someone doing it to him. It was a sign of abuse by someone who had grabbed the little boy. Who might that someone be then? (ABC News) Just as in disabilities the childcare industry has become big and ugly toward children not caring but making money from the care that is becoming substandard in a lot of the places as mentioned in the article and notably they are not being regulated properly by the childcare regulators.
Similar to NDIS where the providers are not punished by the regulators or Quality commission or only receive a slap on the hand or they are given a in childcare centres for a short time where they can use less than good workers or their centre is not up to standard but still allowed to run temporarily. Affinity childcare featured predominantly in the article. They noted that Between 2021 and 2024, Affinity centres in NSW were hit with more than 1,700 regulatory breaches — averaging more than one a day. Despite this, the NSW regulator issued just nine infringement notices, totalling less than $2,000 in penalties. (Ferguson and Gillet ABC investigations 12 May 2025 – video shows childcare worker slapping baby and laughing about it at Affinity Education https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-12/video-shows-childcare-worker-hitting-baby-at-affinity-education/105268298?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=facebook&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web&fbclid=IwY2xjawKpO8hleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETF6bFFBTDhIamZUWUFpa2tyAR5by1h-XHDFnIzOqrK3dM6TD5Pi0SRR1o66PC4xin46UFe4RQnyhPJfdMuVdQ_aem_KeZZ5a4-_rgqWWQTC6IXRwhttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-12/video-shows-childcare-worker-hitting-baby-at-affinity-education/105268298?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
So like disabilities there have been breach after breach of health and safety in places like Life without Barriers and the like and they are still allowed to run in disabilities. They are never shut down they are allow to keep having those in their care be harmed and still advertising as if they are caring when they are negligent in that care as they were with my son. There was also the matter of the $20,000 fraud that was never punished they took from my son’s account. At least that wouldn’t happen in childcare as the NDIS system is slightly worse when it comes to the funding the providers are still allow to come in criminally take and tricking from those who are most vulnerable.
The government is on the side of the big businesses and they don’t care who gets harmed why would they keep ignoring that lack of regulation in both childcare and disability care. Both have providers who are making millions and the government is letting them run without proper health and safety care for the children or the workers and in both cases if any workers report abuse they are sacked or silenced. At least in childcare the centres are checked in person even if it is only every four years. The disabilities care respite and day programs are never checked in person – no wonder they get away with so much and are arrogant with it. Deceiving and ever deceiving to gain their profits. Pretending to care and then breaking parents hearts when a child or adult so vulnerable is hurt by a worker or through straight out negligence and yet never punished never caught.
The childcare worker only got caught because she got a colleague to film her (why?) while she slapped the baby at Affinity education centre the article notes that it was filmed at an Affinity Education centre in South Strathfield in Sydney's inner west in May 2023. A colleague recorded the abuse for entertainment to be posted on Snapchat with a laughing emoji. How stupid were they as well as cruel because that was how the worker got caught. She was charged with common assault but only received a years community service. It should have been more than that she should never be allowed to work in childcare again.
We need cameras in disabilities as well as childcare for those who cannot speak up for themselves and cannot even say who hurt them.
Sign my petition: Change.org/disabilitycameras
All the best
Anndrea x