G8 Education Update on Child Safety and Protection
A former G8 Education team member has been charged with further criminal offences in connection with his employment at three non-G8 Education centres. Some of the additional charges also relate to his employment at Creative Garden Point Cook.
G8 Education has no tolerance for any behaviour that compromises the safety or wellbeing of children and welcomes and supports Government decisions that improve safety for children.
More information
A former G8 Education team member has been charged with further criminal offences in connection with his employment at three non-G8 Education centres. Some of the additional charges also relate to his employment at Creative Garden Point Cook.
The dates the former employee worked in G8 Education’s centres are:
- Creative Garden Point Cook: 28 October 2021 to 2 February 2024
- Leopold World of Learning: 9 February 2023 to 13 February 2023
- Greenwood Point Cook: 14 – 17 February 2023 and 10 March 2023
- Little Blossoms Child Care Centre Werribee: 14 August 2023 to 17 August 2023.
- Point Cook World of Learning: 24 August 2023.
Additional actions G8 Education is taking
G8 Education is committed to continuous improvement and is taking the following actions:
- Invested in enhanced training for all our educations and teachers, particularly around safe sleep, supervision, and mandatory reporting obligations.
- Elevated the role of child champion as safety leaders to be a part of the centre leadership team, with structured training and a focus on child safety.
- An important part of child safeguarding is ensuring that children have a voice and are supported in their understanding of body safety. We have already implemented body safety programs in our curriculum. We are also working with Act for Kids, to provide Protective Behaviours Training for children, educator training modules, a community of practice for our team, coaching and other resources.
- Introduced individual learning plans. These plans are created collaboratively with educations and teachers, the student, and their family, and include personalised strategies to help the student succeed academically and socially.
- Accelerated our organisation-wide rollout of CCTV, prioritising high-movement and shared spaces to strengthen visibility and supervision. We know that while CCTV is not a silver bullet, it is a modern, practical safeguard that strengthens the layered protections we already have in place.
Media Statement
G8 Education’s Media Statements can be found here.
ASX Announcement
G8 Education’s ASX announcements can be found here.
Support Available
The Victorian Government has a dedicated website with more information: www.vic.gov.au/childcare-centres-investigation
On the website you will find:
- Information about support services
- List of services where the alleged offender worked
- Frequently asked questions
- Links to advice about talking to children about abuse
Frequently asked questions
The pre-employment screening of all our team members is rigorous and aligned with industry regulations and quality standards. In this particular case, working with children checks and reference checks were conducted prior to their employment. No issues of concern were identified at the time.
If the Victorian Government or the Victoria Police have contacted you about getting tested, we recommend following their guidance. The Victorian Government has also established a dedicated advice line to call for support – the number is 1800 791 241.
Through the advice line you can:
- Speak to a medical professional
- Discuss whether children should be tested
The advice line will operate 8am-9pm on weekdays and 8am-5pm on weekends.
Should you need to access 24/7 support or confidential counselling, please do so through G8 Education’s provider Access EAP. Phone 1800 818 728 and advise which centre your child attends.
The Victorian Government has also established a dedicated advice line to call for support – the number is 1800 791 241.
Through the advice line you can:
- Speak to a medical professional
- Discuss whether children should be tested
Police are urging anyone with information or other concerns to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to visit www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
The Victorian Government has a dedicated website with more information: www.vic.gov.au/childcare-centres-investigation
On the website you will find:
- Information about support services
- List of services where the alleged offender worked
- Frequently asked questions
- Links to advice about talking to children about abuse
All criminal investigations will be overseen by Victorian Police and the Quality Assessment and Regulation Division (QARD) that is the regulatory authority for early childhood services in Victoria. All QARD’s investigation of providers will be undertaken in consultation with the Victoria Police.