On Tuesday 12 March we had the unfortunate and unacceptable circumstance where two children were found outside one of our centres unattended.
We are extremely grateful that both children were unharmed and are safe. The children were returned to the centre and their families immediately informed. I have contacted the families directly to offer my apologies and support, and to assure them we will do everything possible to ensure this does not happen again.
I can confirm that we undertook an immediate assessment of the site, to ensure it is now again secure and safe.
We have also commenced our own review, led by an independent assessor, to understand how this happened and to identify anything else we need to do to further ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children in our care. We are also working with the Department of Education and Training in their investigation of the incident.
We are sincerely sorry for the distress that this incident has caused for the families directly affected, other families and our staff. Children’s safety and well-being are central to everything we do, so we are absolutely committed to doing all we can to ensure that this type of incident does not happen.
We are committed to quality and safety and while the investigation will focus on the incident at this centre, any outcomes will be shared across all ECMS sites.
Media enquiries:
Alicia Tangaroa
Senior Communications and Marketing Manager
0431 407 670