An Australian childcare worker, Joshua Dale Brown, was recently charged with 70 offences against children, including rape, attempted rape and sexual assault. 

Brown's charges relate to eight alleged victims, aged between five months and two-years-old, who were in the care of Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Melbourne between April 2022 and January 2023. 

The police are investigating further offences committed during Brown’s employment at other nurseries / childcare providers between 2017 – 2025. As a precaution the parents of 1,200 children were advised to have their kids tested for infectious diseases.

It is well documented that early childcare is a heavily female-dominated industry and there have been efforts to attract more males to early childcare to improve gender representation and offer children positive male role models. 

However, in trying to avoid bias there is risk that less scrutiny is placed on male candidates which may inadvertently create a breeding ground for offenders, providing them with the conditions needed to groom co-workers, parents and young children. 

Unfortunately, men who are “motivated offenders” – those admitting both sexual interest in children and past offences – are three times more likely than other men to work in child-centred roles.  

Whilst statistics are limited, a study of Australian daycare providers between 1983 – 1985 found that over 1,639 children were victims of sexual abuse. Men were responsible for 60% of these offences, despite making up roughly 5% of staff. 

More recent data regarding repeated child sex offenders in childcare environments uncovered six incidents, each with seven to 87 verified victims under five years old. These include the 2010 – 2012 Amsterdam Sexual Abuse Case which involved 87 confirmed victims and the 2011 – 2014 Shannon McCoole Case, involving seven confirmed victims. Of these offenders, five were male and just one female. 

These cases highlight a clear pattern: perpetrators target pre-verbal children and remain undetected. It is not until external investigations occur, usually into child sexual abuse material, that offenders are uncovered.  

Even with increased scrutiny, male staff are still able to covertly abuse children in childcare settings for prolonged periods. In some cases, female staff may hesitate to report their concerns about male co-workers, fearing accusations of discrimination.

There also needs to be greater awareness of how these offenders infiltrate and groom institutions. In the case studies analysed, offenders were seen as kind and competent workers. They were often friendly with management or held senior positions themselves and would socialise outside of work with families whose children they cared for. 

It must be acknowledged that some men enter the childcare sector due to their sexual interest in children. Despite that it is important that men are not stigmatised and discouraged from joining the profession. They play a key role in the early years’ experience of many children and enrich the nursery environment.

Through strong and regular safeguarding measures, such abuse can be largely preventable. Children under five are often unable to report abuse meaning that pre-emptive and strategic safeguards must be put in place. Measures include robust CCTV, a minimum of two staff present during intimate care and strict enforcement of the no phones rule.