Hume City Council is aware of the deeply concerning Victoria Police investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse by an individual across several privately operated long day care centres in Melbourne.
We recognise that this news is incredibly distressing, particularly for parents, carers, and the broader community, and we want to assure you that the individual named in the media is not known to Hume City Council. They have never been an educator, employee, visitor, or participant in any of our programs or services.
We understand that news like this can create fear and uncertainty. At Hume, the safety and wellbeing of children in our care has always been and remains our highest priority. We are committed to the full implementation of the Child Safe Standards, and we actively embed these into the practices you see every day in our services.
We want to reassure parents that the hiring, training, and management of staff at our centres follow strict processes. Annual child safety training is delivered through our partnership with Body Safety Australia, and our recruitment processes ensure educators are thoroughly screened before entering our system. Our children's rooms do not allow mobile phones, and a minimum of two staff members are present with children at all times.
We continuously review policies and procedures to implement any practice that support the increased safety of our children and will be guided by findings from the Victorian government's review of childcare safety in the wake of this investigation.
You can learn more about our commitment to child safety in our Child Safety Policy, which outlines how we work to keep children safe from harm.
We echo the advice of Victoria Police and the Department of Education: if you have any concerns or disclosures relating to child safety, please report them directly to Victoria Police or the Department of Education. A dedicated support line has been established for affected families at 1800 791 241.
