A childcare centre in Perth's northern suburbs has been ordered to pay more than $30,000 in penalties after a five-year-old boy was left unattended on a locked bus.
Systematic Failures Led to Child's Ordeal
The State Administrative Tribunal fined Pearsall Child Care Centre $32,000 for multiple breaches of the national law and regulations governing education and care services. The tribunal found the centre failed in its duty to ensure children were adequately supervised and protected from harm.
The incident occurred on November 11, 2024. An educator, identified in tribunal documents as MB, was driving a bus that collected the boy and several other children from school. Between 3:10pm and 3:15pm, she let the children off the bus at the centre without a second educator present to verify their safety.
Contrary to the centre's own policy, MB did not perform a headcount. She then locked the bus and walked the children inside by herself. Using an iPad, she logged their arrival with a "sign in all" function at 3:15pm before proceeding to the kindergarten room.
Discovery by Parent, Not by Procedure
The centre's standard safety protocol required the bus key to be handed to a supervising officer, who would then check the vehicle. This critical step was completely missed.
The boy's plight was only discovered when another parent arrived to collect her child around 3:20pm and saw him alone on the bus. The parent immediately alerted an educator, NG. NG then sent a student to inform the responsible person on duty, educator PR.
PR went to the bus but found it locked. She had to return to the office to retrieve the keys, finally unlocking the bus around 3:25pm. The tribunal noted the boy was "distraught and crying" but was not physically injured.
Tribunal Highlights Grave Safety Lapse
In its findings, the tribunal stated bluntly that "children left unsupervised in locked vehicles is a hazard likely to cause injury." It emphasised that the child was rescued solely due to the alert parent's actions, not because of the centre's own processes.
The tribunal also noted the boy was known to sometimes play hide and seek during transitions, yet the educator "did not take additional steps to ensure all children were accounted for."
Angelo Barbaro, Executive Director of Regulation and Quality at the Department of Communities, said the penalty serves as a stark reminder. "The risks to a child’s safety and wellbeing from inadequate supervision, particularly during transportation, is a major concern," he stated. "Even a momentary lapse can have serious consequences."
In addition to the $32,000 fine, the tribunal ordered the service to pay $2,000 towards the Department of Communities' legal costs.
