Childcare workers see decline in ethical rating, reflecting heightened concerns around child safety 

The Governance Institute of Australia’s 2025 Ethics Index shows that the perceived ethics of childcare workers has fallen by five points compared to last year. 

While childcare workers remain among the more positively viewed professions overall, the drop reflects a shift in public sentiment, likely tied to ongoing media coverage and community concern about child safety. 

The 2025 Ethics Index reveals a marked decline in the perceived ethical standing of childcare and preschool occupations and organisations, contrasting sharply with broader positive shifts across the education sector.

While the education sector overall is now rated the most ethical sector in 2025 achieving a Sector Ethics Index score of 75 (up six points from 2024) the sub-sector of childcare and preschool services has experienced a notable downturn.

This divergence may reflect rising public concern around child safety and regulatory failures, following several high-profile incidents reported over the past year.

The table below presents the Net Ethical Index Scores for key childcare-related occupations and organisations, comparing results from the 2024 and 2025 Ethics Index reports. The Year-on-Year (YoY) shift reflects the change in perceived ethical standing between years.

Key Insights:

• Overall Sector Performance: The education sector overall is perceived as the most ethical sector in 2025, with a Sector Ethics Index score of 75 (up 6 points versus 2024)
• Contrasting Trends: The decline in the ethical standing of childcare/preschool centres and carers (both down 5 points or more) is in stark contrast to the rest of the education sector occupations and organizations, which saw broadly positive shifts
• Magnitude of Decline: The perceived ethical standing of childcare/preschool carers dropped from a Net Score of 66 in 2024 to 61 in 2025 (Down 5). Similarly, Childcare/Preschool centres dropped from a Net Score of 63 in 2024 to 58 in 2025 (Down 5).
• Primary Education Contrast: For comparison within the sector, Primary school teachers saw their Net Score increase from 66 in 2024 to 72 in 2025 (Up 6), and Primary schools increased from 63 in 2024 to 67 in 2025 (Up 4)

The Index, now in its tenth year, reveals that Australians continue to rank health, education and care-based professions highly. However, the decline for childcare highlights how public trust in sectors working closely with children can be sensitive to perceptions of safety and responsibility. 

Download the full report here.

The Governance Institute is a national membership association for governance and risk  management professionals across various sectors. Its mission is to promote better.