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Senior management at Brindabella Christian College were instructed to attend an assessment of fitness and propriety following allegations children were threatened and force-fed at its early learning centre in Charnwood. Documents released under freedom of information laws show Children’s Education and Care Assurance (CECA) received a complaint in May 2019 from someone who witnessed an educator on duty at the early learning centre tell a child words to the effect of “if you don’t stop being naughty I’ll send you somewhere else and you won’t be able to come back here or see your mummy or daddy again”. A child who was rolling on the floor during library time was allegedly told by an educator “you’re being feral today”. The complainant also reported that an educator dragged a child out of bed to the lunch table and spooned food into a child’s mouth, holding their chin closed and their arms down when they tried to push away. After receiving the complaint, the authority issued show cause notices in July to the educators involved, their supervisor and the proprietor of the school based on evidence gathered. Following an investigation into the matter, caution letters were issued in September 2019 for the substantiated offences of using inappropriate discipline. A number of breaches of national law and regulations were separately uncovered at the Charnwood early learning centre during a compliance audit on October 24, 2019. A compliance notice was issued to the centre requiring management to update children’s medical details and complete risk management plans and communication plans with parents of children with specific medical needs. On December 16, CECA sent a letter asking for the people with management or control of the early learning centre to attend a reassessment of fitness and propriety on January 17, 2020. It is unclear whether the assessment has been carried out. Legal representatives for Brindabella Christian Education Limited, the charity which operates the school and early learning centres, wrote back to say the individuals would not be available for the assessment on that date and that they were surprised to have received the letter asking to attend the assessment. In a reply on January 30, CECA director Susan Sullivan wrote that the concerns stemmed from the provider’s “demonstrated lack of understanding of appropriate interactions between educators and children” and attempts to justify the behaviour as part of daily routines. “From a fitness and propriety perspective, the Provider’s lack of understanding of the reasons the educators’ conduct was inappropriate is substantially more concerning than the conduct itself,” Ms Sullivan wrote. The legal representatives wrote to the Education Directorate director-general Katy Haire on April 9 this year, again refusing to attend the fitness and propriety test, arguing that it was “without foundation.” Brindabella Christian College did not respond to questions from The Canberra Times. When the Education Directorate was asked whether the provider had undertaken the fitness and priority assessment, a spokesman said CECA was not able to disclose information because of confidentiality provisions in the Education and Care Services National Law. However, on September 30 a directorate spokesman told The Canberra Times that the CECA had been in negotiations with Brindabella Christian College over the previous month to reschedule the assessment. He said the assessment was delayed initially because of the impact of the bushfires and then the COVID-19 pandemic. “The service continues to be monitored by Children’s Education and Care Assurance pending the outcome of the assessment.” It is understood that parents of children enrolled at the Charnwood early learning centre were not told about the complaints and regulatory actions against the centre. The Education Directorate spokesman said the onus was on the early childhood service provider to inform parents of CECA’s regulatory action. The Charnwood early learning centre received service approval in 2012. A current advertising campaign is promoting a “new centre opening 2021” at the Brindabella Christian College Charnwood early learning centre that is “caring, committed and safe”. The Education Directorate spokesman said Brindabella Christian Education had not made any application for a new service at Charnwood.
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Senior management at Brindabella Christian College were instructed to attend an assessment of fitness and propriety following allegations children were threatened and force-fed at its early learning centre in Charnwood.
Documents released under freedom of information laws show Children’s Education and Care Assurance (CECA) received a complaint in May 2019 from someone who witnessed an educator on duty at the early learning centre tell a child words to the effect of “if you don’t stop being naughty I’ll send you somewhere else and you won’t be able to come back here or see your mummy or daddy again”. A child who was rolling on the floor during library time was allegedly told by an educator “you’re being feral today”.
The complainant also reported that an educator dragged a child out of bed to the lunch table and spooned food into a child’s mouth, holding their chin closed and their arms down when they tried to push away.
After receiving the complaint, the authority issued show cause notices in July to the educators involved, their supervisor and the proprietor of the school based on evidence gathered.
Following an investigation into the matter, caution letters were issued in September 2019 for the substantiated offences of using inappropriate discipline.
A number of breaches of national law and regulations were separately uncovered at the Charnwood early learning centre during a compliance audit on October 24, 2019.
A compliance notice was issued to the centre requiring management to update children’s medical details and complete risk management plans and communication plans with parents of children with specific medical needs.
On December 16, CECA sent a letter asking for the people with management or control of the early learning centre to attend a reassessment of fitness and propriety on January 17, 2020. It is unclear whether the assessment has been carried out.
Legal representatives for Brindabella Christian Education Limited, the charity which operates the school and early learning centres, wrote back to say the individuals would not be available for the assessment on that date and that they were surprised to have received the letter asking to attend the assessment.
In a reply on January 30, CECA director Susan Sullivan wrote that the concerns stemmed from the provider’s “demonstrated lack of understanding of appropriate interactions between educators and children” and attempts to justify the behaviour as part of daily routines.
“From a fitness and propriety perspective, the Provider’s lack of understanding of the reasons the educators’ conduct was inappropriate is substantially more concerning than the conduct itself,” Ms Sullivan wrote.
The legal representatives wrote to the Education Directorate director-general Katy Haire on April 9 this year, again refusing to attend the fitness and propriety test, arguing that it was “without foundation.”
Brindabella Christian College did not respond to questions from The Canberra Times.
When the Education Directorate was asked whether the provider had undertaken the fitness and priority assessment, a spokesman said CECA was not able to disclose information because of confidentiality provisions in the Education and Care Services National Law.
However, on September 30 a directorate spokesman told The Canberra Times that the CECA had been in negotiations with Brindabella Christian College over the previous month to reschedule the assessment. He said the assessment was delayed initially because of the impact of the bushfires and then the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The service continues to be monitored by Children’s Education and Care Assurance pending the outcome of the assessment.”
It is understood that parents of children enrolled at the Charnwood early learning centre were not told about the complaints and regulatory actions against the centre.
The Education Directorate spokesman said the onus was on the early childhood service provider to inform parents of CECA’s regulatory action.
The Charnwood early learning centre received service approval in 2012.
A current advertising campaign is promoting a “new centre opening 2021” at the Brindabella Christian College Charnwood early learning centre that is “caring, committed and safe”.
The Education Directorate spokesman said Brindabella Christian Education had not made any application for a new service at Charnwood.
