All entries on Feminist Legal Clinic’s News Digest Blog are extracts from news articles and other publications, with the source available at the link at the bottom. The content is not generated by Feminist Legal Clinic and does not necessarily reflect our views.
On Monday, a new ABC investigation identified almost 150 childcare workers have been convicted, charged, or accused of sexual abuse and inappropriate conduct.
As part of its push to improve safety in early childhood centres, the federal governments is about to trial CCTV in hundreds services.
Installing and maintaining cameras, secure servers and encrypted storage systems is expensive. It could be difficult for smaller or rural services to meet these costs.
Along with the sensitive information being hacked there are also other risks and issues around CCTV.
Young children cannot meaningfully consent to being filmed, yet CCTV is potentially recording their play, routines and interactions in ways they cannot control.
There is a significant danger is assuming CCTV alone can keep children safe.
Research shows effective staff training and open communication with families are the key ways to keep children safe. Child-to-staff ratios are also crucial.
Tensions may also arise when families assume they have a right to access CCTV footage – for example, after incidents where a child is hurt – yet in many cases they do not due to privacy and regulatory frameworks.
For governments and large organisations, the appeal of CCTV often lies in grand gestures that signal action and accountability, even if the benefits for children are less certain.
[Ed: And if we really cared about child safety we could just exclude male workers rather than increasing the cost of all childcare.]
Source: A UK hack shows Australia needs to be very careful about its CCTV trial for daycare centres