In July 2025, Australian early learning services faced a reckoning not only with child protection protocols—but with their values. The phrase “They’ve sent a male”, reportedly uttered as a relief educator arrived for shift work, revealed how fear has been weaponized in ways that quietly exclude men from the workforce.

In a devastating update to the case against alleged offender Joshua Dale Brown, authorities have confirmed that an additional 800 children will undergo precautionary STI testing. This follows revelations that Brown worked at four newly named childcare centres operated by Affinity Education Group, bringing the total number of affected families to over 830.

Despite these staggering numbers, not a single educator has publicly come forward with concerns. It's a silence that rattles through the core of early childhood education—begging the question: How did this happen on our watch?

When a family requests that male educators not change their child’s nappy, it touches on safeguarding, inclusion, and professional boundaries all at once. Here’s a way to navigate it thoughtfully.

An opt-in intimate care waiver is a formal consent form offered by some early childhood education and care (ECEC) services that allows families to choose whether male educators can perform intimate care tasks—such as nappy changes, toileting, or dressing—for their child. On the surface, this seems like a reasonable compromise: empower families, protect children, and avoid blanket bans on male staff. But scratch beneath the surface, and a deeper question emerges: Are we quietly institutionalizing gender discrimination?

Hosted by Semann and Slattery, this online conversation space is designed specifically for men working in early childhood education to engage in open, respectful dialogue about child sexual abuse prevention, safeguarding practices, and professional identity.

This template is used to support male educators within the service.

In the wake of harrowing abuse allegations against a male childcare worker in Victoria, Australia, many male educators are grappling with a new wave of scrutiny, stigma, and self-doubt. For Ben Munroe, a 27-year-old early childhood educator in Melbourne, the news was more than disturbing—it was personally devastating.