‘Could have been catastrophic’: Children at risk of 12-storey plunge from high-rise childcare centre

Children at a high-rise childcare centre in the inner city were at risk of falling from a 12-storey roof edge, the official regulator has found.

The St Kilda Road centre, operated by Woodlands Childcare and Education, has been issued an emergency action notice to close and immediately fix its rooftop outdoor play space after Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) inspectors found children could get past a fence or barrier on the 12th floor.

The long daycare centre, which operates from the 11th floor but has an outdoor play space on the level above, was rated “working towards national quality standards” in May.

The centre has space for 140 children, offers care from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, and costs $171.12 for a full day before childcare subsidies.

The site has a “hero playscape” – featuring a small plane that was airlifted into the high-rise centre with a crane – and can care for babies, toddlers and kinder-aged children.

But during an unannounced visit, VECRA’s authorised officers found recent modifications had created the potential for danger.

They found children could access an outdoor balustrade on the 12th floor.

Officers found the outdoor space was enclosed by a fence or barrier that young children could get past, which VECRA found left children at risk of death or significant harm if they reached the roof’s edge.

On June 12, the St Kilda Road centre was ordered to close and fix the outdoor space. Authorised officers also found the service wasn’t prepared for an emergency evacuation and didn’t have plans to evacuate 14 children under two to the ground floor in an emergency, a situation the service has been ordered to rectify.

The centre can continue to run while the operators secure the outdoor space.

Interim early childhood regulator Adam Fennessy said families expected their children would be safe and well at their early childhood service.

“Woodlands St Kilda Road has put children at significant risk with unsafe fencing on a level 12 outdoor play area and inadequate emergency planning,” he said.

“The safety, rights and best interests of children must be the paramount consideration for all early childhood education providers. Had any child gone through, over or under the fence on the 12th floor, the consequences for them could have been catastrophic – it is unacceptable that the service was putting children at risk.”

The site is one of seven that Woodlands runs, alongside Sunbury and Roxburgh Park centres, which are also working towards standards, Tarneit and Truganina which are meeting standards and its Boronia centre which is yet to be assessed.

VECRA is considering further action because of the seriousness of the breaches. Failure to comply with directions could lead to prosecution, with a maximum penalty of $20,400 in the case of an individual or $103,200 in any other case.

The latest Productivity Commission report, released in February, found almost 5050 children were injured, became ill or experienced trauma at Victorian childcare centres last financial year.

The rate of serious incidents, which seriously compromise the health, safety or wellbeing of children attending early childhood education and care services, increased to 6613 from 6142.

Woodlands has been contacted for comment.

More to come