By Nicole Jones, CEO Gowrie NSW
You may have seen Monday night’s Four Corners report on the ABC regarding serious breaches of child safety in early childhood education services. As someone who has advocated for children my entire career and a parent myself, along with our teachers and educators, the content was deeply distressing and confronting. Our thoughts are with the children and families impacted by such abhorrent events.
It calls for strong action. As an organisation we are currently working with other stakeholders including State & Commonwealth Governments to do all that we can to keep children safe. (Please read the attached media statement collectively written with other not for profit organisations in NSW).
While none of the reports raised relate to Gowrie NSW, we understand that reports like this cause worry or prompt questions about how we safeguard children in our services. I want to outline clearly the actions and systems we have in place to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing.
Here at Gowrie NSW, children’s safety is non-negotiable.
Every child has the right to be safe and respected. Safeguarding children and childhood is the foundation of every decision – guided by best practice, strong regulatory standards, and ethical leadership. We hold ourselves to standards that meet or exceed all regulatory requirements. In fact, all centres at Gowrie NSW meet or exceed these benchmarks.
Safety is embedded in our culture, daily practice and leadership. Our Child Safety Statement provides a clear summary of the standards, behaviours and reporting pathways we expect.
Every day, our teams make decisions with children’s safety as their foremost consideration. Our “See Something, Say Something” policy is part of this. All educators are trained to notice and report anything that could put a child at risk, they are supported to report anything they are concerned about. We take concerns seriously and we encourage families to reach out with any questions or feedback.
Our people make the difference
Our child safeguarding starts from the moment someone applies for a position at Gowrie NSW through to their onboarding and beyond. Our recruitment process includes detailed child safe interview questions and reference checks with a clear focus on child safety. All staff go through rigorous pre-employment and ongoing checks, including Working with Children Checks, prohibited persons check, comprehensive induction, and structured probation.
Our onboarding includes regular refresher training on child safety and mandatory reporting. Our teams are supported through free mentoring and professional learning, which helps them provide consistent, attentive, and nurturing care to every child.
Culture of quality assurance
We are never complacent and we know there is always more to do. Every Gowrie NSW service is part of a strong culture of accountability, feedback, and continuous improvement.
We have multiple layers of oversight in place, including regular audits, quality reviews, and unannounced visits to ensure practices are strong and consistent. These oversights are supported by a number of wrap around roles such as our General Managers, Risk & Compliance Manager, Practice Coaches and Teacher Mentor. Our Executive Team is also highly experienced and qualified in early & middle childhood teaching.
We take action where improvements are needed so that every child in every service benefit from the highest quality standards.
Working together with families
We deeply value your trust and partnership. We remain vigilant in safeguarding every child, every day because their safety and wellbeing is, and will always be, our foremost priority.
If you have questions or feedback, your Centre Director or Program Manager are always available. Should families need further support, please feel welcome to contact us on info@gowriensw.com.au.
Nicole Jones
CEO Gowrie NSW
