On 2 July 2025, the Victorian Government announced an urgent review into child safety in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings.
The Rapid Child Safety Review (the Review) was announced following allegations of sexual assault against children in long day care services in Melbourne. The Review has been careful to not take any actions that could interfere with live police or regulatory investigations, in-line with its Terms of Reference (see Appendix 1).
While those investigations are underway, the Review was asked to look at immediate steps the Victorian Government could take itself, and advocate for nationally, to improve child safety in ECEC in Victoria.
The Review was led by Jay Weatherill AO and Pam White PSM.
In the 6-week period, the Review focused on what will make the most difference to safeguard children in ECEC settings.
The Review has done this by considering relevant data from Victoria and other jurisdictions, research and evidence, including previous inquiries.
The Review also met with and received information from:
- experts, peak bodies, unions, providers and service leaders in early childhood education and care, including Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
- regulators in other sectors that work with vulnerable people; and
- groups representing parents and the rights and interests of children.
For a lot of families, so much of the distress of this is that [early childhood education and care] in some form is a necessity - it is not a lifestyle preference or a sort of optional extra. We live in a society and an economy now where it is very rare for a household to stay afloat on one income. That means parents with smaller children (who don’t have parents who can step in) have to use some form of early education and care.
- A parent perspective shared with the review.
It is really important to remember that it’s not that early childhood educators are
perpetrators of abuse, it is that some paedophiles have targeted some of the gaps that
exist and exploited them. … All of the incredible early educators who are absolutely not perpetrators, … this is not about them.
- A parent perspective shared with the review.
Note to readers: The report often uses the term ‘parents’ for ease and shorthand. The Review recognises the many different family and care arrangements that support a child—including extended family members, foster, kinship, and other carers. The term ‘parent’ is intended to be inclusive of these different arrangements. While the majority of the Review’s recommendations are intended to benefit and strengthen the entire ECEC system, in the 6 weeks available, the Review has focused on the centre-based ECEC services of long day care and kindergarten. While most recommendations are applicable across the system, some will require nuanced consideration and application for family day care and outside school hours care services. |
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