A childcare worker in Point Cook, Melbourne, has been charged with more than 70 offences including sexual abuse of babies and toddlers. Now, over 1,200 children are being urged to get tested for infectious diseases. It’s just heartbreaking—and it’s got everyone asking if our childcare system is safe enough.
Shocking charges – what we know so far
The accused, 26‑year‑old Joshua Brown, faces charges involving eight kids aged between five months and two years. Authorities say he worked across 20 childcare centres in Melbourne from 2017 to 2025, including at least one in Essendon, and his Working With Children Check was valid—until now.
1,200 children are being advised to get disease screenings, with about 2,600 families notified. That’s so many parents calling the advice hotline they’re waiting hours. I feel like you can imagine the fear and worry. Victoria’s Premier called it “shocking and distressing.” Health officials made this move just to cover all bases. It really drives home how much trust we put in caregivers—and how quickly that trust can break.
Why this hits home – trust, trauma & reform
You know, lots of us send our little ones off every day thinking they’re safe. This case is a punch to the gut for so many families. I feel like parents are now scrambling—not just to keep their kids physically healthy, but emotionally steady too.
Here’s what’s unfolding:
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Hotline overwhelmed, parents waiting hours—trauma meets frustration.
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Support & $5,000 help packages offered to affected families for counselling or lost work.
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Reforms pushed: quicker reporting rules, phone bans in centres, national childcare worker registry in the works.
Early Childhood Minister Jason Clare said legislation is coming soon: no mandatory reporting within 24 hours, and funding may be cut if centres don’t comply. That’s big, and it’s long overdue.
Unseen fallout – not just the obvious
What worries me is the ripple effect no one's talking about:
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Centre staff trauma: other caregivers, admin, cleaners—all affected emotionally even though they weren’t involved in any wrongdoing.
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Lab pressure: thousands of extra tests just dumped on Victoria’s health system. That means delays and added stress for families.
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Insurance headaches: childcare centres could lose cover, or face lawsuits—like class actions—over how they handled (or didn’t) supervision.
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Policy stress test: this is pushing a much-needed sanity check on how these centres operate, hire, and monitor staff.
I feel like until now, many of us didn’t fully grasp how fragile the safety net around our kids really is.
What parents can do now
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Check if your child attended any of the 20 listed centres during Joshua Brown’s stint (Victoria govt has a list).
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Call the advice line (1800 791 241) or email for testing and support help.
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Ask your centre about:
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Staff vetting, phone/video policies
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Reporting procedures (24‑hour standard now being pushed)
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Mental health supports for both staff and families
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Consider moving your child to centres with better stability, low staff turnover, and not‑for‑profit management.
Real voices from the community
On Twitter @MarioNawfal Posted:
🇦🇺1,200 KIDS URGED TO GET TESTED AFTER MELBOURNE WORKER CHARGED WITH CHILD ABUSE
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 1, 2025
Joshua Dale Brown, 26, faces 70 charges including child abuse and producing abuse material, with victims as young as five months old.
He worked at 20 childcare centers since 2017 - now 1,200… pic.twitter.com/anDdPbX0aj
And the ABC reported many social workers are being called in—not just for the kids, but for staff who witnessed the police presence and chaos. It’s like everyone in the centre is being affected—even those who didn’t know anything was wrong.
Where we go from here – fixing a broken safety net
Here’s what the reform roadmap looks like:
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Victoria is fast-tracking background checks, phone bans, and 24-hour reporting mandates.
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Federal push: Ministers are working on a national childcare worker registry, phone restrictions, and cutting funding for non-compliant centres.
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Childcare operators like G8 Education are pledging cooperation, but experts say that’s not enough—they want third-party audits and better staff-care oversight.
The bottom line? This shouldn't feel like an emergency fix—it should be the standard for how we protect our kids every day.
Human-first wrap-up
This case is more than headlines—it’s our kids’ safety, our confidence as parents, and our call for real accountability. I know it’s hard to read, but sharing this honestly—“it’s just heartbreaking”—is how we keep everyone aware and demand change. Because every child deserves to come home safe and sound, no matter which centre we trust them to.
