Foster carer couple accused of shocking grooming and child abuse

A regional Victorian couple who fostered seven children since 2021, including a six-month-old, have been charged with dozens of horrific child abuse offences, raising concerns about the vetting and oversight of carers in Victoria.

Many allegations against the pair, both in their 20s, are too graphic to publish, but involve the production and sharing of child abuse material via an encrypted messaging app.

Australian Federal Police allege the couple were members of a nationwide online forum, which often characterised itself as “naturist” or “sex-positive”, but allegedly exchanged vile images and videos of prepubescent boys and girls engaging in sexual acts.

They only came to the attention of Victorian law enforcement agencies on April 29, following an investigation of a NSW man who allegedly used his own daughters to produce child pornography.

On May 1, detectives from the Joint Anti-Child Exploitation raided their regional home, seizing several mobile phones, laptop computers and clothes.

A 28-year-old was charged with 19 offences, including producing, possessing and transmitting child abuse material and sexually assaulting a child under 16 years of age.

His former husband, 26, was charged with a range of online child abuse material offences and using a carriage service to prepare or plan to engage in sexual activity with a child.

The distressing allegations have sparked heated debate online about the screening of prospective foster parents, and the process of monitoring their behaviour after children are placed in their care.

Former child abuse detective Kristi McVee said it was alarming that foster care background checks potentially failed to flag one of the men’s alleged online activity, including a pro-nudist family Facebook page he is accused of running.

The couple became foster parents through Anglicare Victoria, which said it was unable to comment while the matter was before the court.

McVee said at least one of the men had engaged in pro-nudist ideology online, which should have been escalated by the foster care vetting process.

“It’s a massive red flag. You’re putting vulnerable children with families who openly expose and celebrate nudity. Where is the protective factor? Where is the consideration for a child’s privacy?

“Of course the nudist ideology is not the issue. It’s that children don’t get a choice in this, and we know exposing children to nudity is a known grooming tactic used by child sex offenders.”

Both men had their Working With Children (WWC) clearance suspended immediately after they were charged, an official source confirmed, with one working in healthcare and the other in a childcare chain, although his role did not have direct contact with children in care.

Social Services Regulator Jonathan Kaplan said recent changes to the WWC Scheme meant organisations that work with children must notify the regulator and maintain records of workers and volunteers through the new WWC Connect system.

“When we are notified of breaches, we work actively with other regulators and law enforcement authorities in the interests of child safety,” Kaplan said.

He told this masthead that Victoria’s child safe standards set out mandatory requirements to promote child safety and child abuse.

But former National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said federal and state governments had failed to implement hundreds of recommendations from royal commissions, reports and inquiries into child safety.

“There are still flaws in the system. There is a lack of resources and a lack of independent oversight over the child protections system, which has been a consistent finding of several reports going back more than a decade,” Hollonds said.

“We are not tough enough on political leaders who are supposed to be acting on these things. We know what to do, but there is no accountability for the lack of action.”

She said there was an urgent need to strengthen the safeguards around children.

“There has to be more training and investment in frontline personnel. The child protections system cannot do this alone and requires a whole-of-government approach. We need to make child safety and wellbeing a national priority,” Hollonds said.

The couple was highlighted as positive representatives of the foster care system in a series of media interviews in recent years. The 28-year-old said he was inspired by his own parents to care for vulnerable kids.

The pair will return to Bendigo Magistrates’ Court later this month. Neither of the accused has entered a plea.

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