If you’re a parent right now trying to work out what to do about the news breaking around a childcare centre and a person accused of child sexual abuse, I want to make this as clear as I possibly can: pull your kid out. Today. Don’t wait for more information. Don’t wait for the centre to explain itself. Get out.
I know this because I’ve lived it.
One share. One parent. One child safer.
I was involved in a police allegation at my own child’s centre, my child was one of several at the centre of allegations. Another parent involved happened to be a child sexual abuse lawyer — and the moment she saw the writing on the wall, she moved her kid out immediately. I didn’t. I left mine there for several days, telling myself they were safe because the centre was “on high alert” and everyone was watching. They weren’t safe. The centre’s response was appalling, and it made one thing obvious: their priority was protecting staff and reputation, not children.
That experience is why I have no patience left for parents talking themselves into staying.
So here’s my rule of thumb. If your centre has not been fully transparent, fully honest, fully open about what has happened — get out. If they’re pointing the finger at someone else for the silence, whether that’s the AFP, the regulator, or anyone else — get out. It doesn’t matter whose fault the non-disclosure is. What matters is that you now know this centre carries a risk it did not manage, because the allegations happened there in the first place. And how it behaves afterwards tells you everything about what it will do next time.
I keep seeing the same excuses in comment threads. My kid is attached. We’d have to find somewhere new. It might not be their fault they can’t say more. None of that changes the calculation. Parents move kids from schools all the time — because of bullying, a bad teacher, a house move. Change happens constantly, and kids adapt. You are not doing your child a favour by keeping them somewhere out of loyalty, inertia, or guilt about the upheaval.
This is what prompted me to write this. Adam Whittington — who has spent years fighting to expose child sexual abuse in this country and has been something of a hero of mine — posted about a childcare centre and the person now facing charges, and named the centre. If you want the details, go find his page. Just as telling as the original post is what’s happening underneath it: the centre’s defenders showing up in the comments, deflecting, minimising, telling people there might be “other reasons” the centre hasn’t been upfront — reasons like the AFP or the regulator asking them to hold information back. I’ve read the reporting. The AFP has said it wants to release information. So even that excuse doesn’t hold up.
None of that changes my advice. It doesn’t matter what the reason for the silence is. What matters is whether your child is safe today, right now, in a building you trust with their life every single day. If there’s any doubt in your mind, there shouldn’t be any doubt in your decision.
Get out. Don’t analyse it. Don’t excuse behaviour that doesn’t align with basic child-protective values just because it’s inconvenient to leave.
You already know what your instincts are telling you.
Everything here remains an allegation until proven in court — that’s the legal reality, and I want to be clear about it. But whether or not any particular allegation is proven, the test for a parent isn’t “has this been proven beyond reasonable doubt.”
The test is: does this place deserve to hold my trust with my child’s safety. If the answer isn’t an immediate yes, get the f*ck out.
References:
Sydney daycare worker who allegedly abused 120 children launches secrecy bid
One of Australia’s worst alleged paedophiles, a Sydney childcare worker with 120 suspected victims, has launched a secrecy bid to prevent the public from learning where he worked, stopping police from alerting further potential victims.
Legal and Privacy Concerns. Under Australian privacy laws and for personal safety, the author uses a pseudonym and AI-altered imagery. This work features literary and reflective essays expressing a subjective lived experience; it is not a legal or investigative record. All references to harm or conduct reflect the author’s honest opinion and personal interpretation of events. Regarding the matters referenced, police investigations resulted in a finding of no offence detected; this work is an exploration of the psychological interpretations and healing that follow such experiences. While the author is a psychologist, the views expressed here are personal and do not constitute professional psychological advice or a clinical opinion.
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