Calls for stronger vetting and misconduct reporting in NT early learning services

Child safety and workforce integrity in Northern Territory early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are under scrutiny following revelations that some services are hiring staff without conducting proper reference checks.

Territory Child Care Group director Sarah Lloyd, who has nearly two decades of sector experience, said she was aware of recent cases in which services had failed to verify employment histories or seek references for new staff.

“It’s more common than we would like to think,” Ms Lloyd said. “Often centres are in urgent need of staff, and sometimes corners get cut.”

Ms Lloyd said while comprehensive guidelines for child-safe recruitment practices do exist, their use is not mandatory in the NT. She called for reference checking particularly with recent supervisors, including questions around disciplinary action to be embedded into regulatory expectations.

“There’s a lot of good material that’s been produced for child-safe organisations, but it’s not mandated, and it’s not checked,” she said.

The issue raises broader concerns about inconsistent recruitment practices across the country. Regardless of jurisdiction, approved providers and persons with management control must take their obligations seriously when it comes to safe and rigorous hiring practices.

This includes undertaking verified reference checks, conducting structured interviews, look at requesting national police checks, and validating qualifications and work histories.

There remains a worrying trend across states and territories where reference checks are overlooked or treated as a formality, rather than as a key part of safeguarding children. 

Would we be surprised or perhaps not by how often references are either not contacted or not vetted properly, this can include agency placements and relief educators as well.

The integrity of educator qualifications is also an emerging concern. As services come under pressure to fill roles quickly, the risk of fraudulent or unverifiable credentials increases. Greater scrutiny of qualification documentation and registration processes is essential to ensure only suitably trained and cleared individuals are entering ECEC settings.

Janet Williams-Smith, General Manager of Inclusion and Early Intervention at Early Childhood Australia NT, has called for the Northern Territory to prioritise a reportable conduct scheme, a model that would compel early childhood educators to report allegations of child-related misconduct.

“A reportable conduct scheme is whereby people working in early childhood education and care are obliged to report allegations of child abuse and child-related misconduct to bodies such as the Commission for Children and Young People in Victoria,” she told ABC News.

This scheme would differ from the Territory’s existing mandatory reporting laws, which require individuals to report suspicions of abuse or neglect to child protection authorities.

Currently, the NT’s WWCC only flags individuals with a criminal history, offering no insight into workplace-based allegations of inappropriate conduct or behaviour.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the NT government was reviewing the regulatory framework and supports the development of a national WWCC and educator register. “Everything at this point is on the table,” she said.

Both Ms Lloyd and Ms Williams-Smith expressed strong support for the national educator register, noting it would help address gaps in information-sharing between jurisdictions and services.

Ms Lloyd added that while most educators are dedicated and highly motivated, more must be done to professionalise and support the sector.

“There’s room for improvement, as with any sector,” she said. “But we need to value good educators and promote the impact they have on families. Most people who work in this sector are deeply invested in children’s wellbeing and we must be explicit about the standards and expectations that come with that responsibility.”

Source: ABC News, 7 July 2025 access the full article here.