CARERS NOT EVEN FINED

[AussieMark]

Carers who 'lost' a tot not even fined

WHEN Vanessa Dallow went to collect her five-month-old baby from childcare and found the centre dark, locked and apparently empty, she feared the worst.

Fear turned to panic when she telephoned husband Paul, who confirmed he had not picked up their daughter, Azrael.

A frantic series of phone calls and an agonising 30 minutes later a staff member returned to the centre where, on unlocking the doors, baby Azrael was revealed alone in a darkened room, asleep and unharmed.

The incident, at the Hampden Bridge Child Care Centre in Wagga on April 19, 2001, created a local scandal at the time.

But The Daily Telegraph can now reveal a further shock was in store for the Dallow family.

Despite offences being proven against the childcare centre last year, the local Magistrates' Court did not impose a fine on the centre – or even record a conviction.

"That is the worst part of this whole thing – it is disgusting they got off scot-free," Mr Dallow, 30, said.

"She was in a hammock and could easily have rolled over and suffocated. Fortunately, it was winter – if it had been one of the 45C days we get here she would've been cooked and brain damaged."

"It is only pure luck that our daughter wasn't killed or seriously injured – given that she was left alone for that time anything could have happened to her.

"The centre was found guilty over it and yet there was no fine, no conviction, no nothing."

The Department of Community Services (DOCS) has confirmed the outcome of its prosecution.

Yesterday Azrael celebrated her third birthday with her first swimming lesson and a barbecue party at home.

But the Dallows are still angry at the lack of action from the courts and the lack of explanation from DOCS.

Mr Dallow believes DOCS and the courts are failing to take the issue seriously enough.

Only a few of DOCS 26 prosecutions for childcare regulation breaches since 1996 have yielded significant fines.

Often court costs are the only significant penalty centres which breach the regulations face.

However, DOCS appears to be happy with the situation as – in baby Azrael's case and all others to date – it has not appealed.

"No decision as to penalty has yet been appealed by DOCS – although some childcare centres have taken this course," DOCS Executive Director Child Protection and Early Intervention Mary-Jane Clark said.

Mr Dallow said the family was still unsure exactly how and why Azrael was left locked inside.

"We've never been given a proper explanation – we asked DOCS and they told us we had to pay through Freedom of Information to [find out]," he said.

[stormchazer]

Its all out there. Un-be-lieve-able!