Sydney grandfather mistakenly takes home the wrong child from daycare
A grandfather at a Sydney daycare accidentally collected another family's toddler, sparking an investigation into the centre's safety protocols.
Incident at First Steps Learning Academy
An investigation is underway after a grandfather accidentally collected the wrong child from First Steps Learning Academy in Bangor, southern Sydney, on Monday afternoon.
The man was there to pick up his grandchild when he mistakenly took home a different one-year-old who was asleep in a dimly lit room. The error only came to light when the other child's mother arrived and discovered her child was missing.
Parents and Centre Respond
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the mother—who spoke anonymously—said centre staff could not provide details about the man’s identity, the authorised person list or confirm what he looked like, beyond noting he was an older gentleman wearing shorts.
Although strict protocols allow only recognised parents, guardians or carers to collect children, the mother does not blame the grandfather, saying: "We are not angry with him. He did not intend for this to happen—we blame the daycare."
The grandfather has expressed remorse over the incident. His wife told reporters he was "devastated" and immediately returned the child to the centre as soon as he realised the mistake.
Investigation and Safety Measures
First Steps Learning Academy has stood down the educator involved and issued a formal apology. Nursery director Trisha Hastie stated this was an isolated incident and that the centre is reinforcing procedures to prevent a recurrence.
The New South Wales Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority is investigating the "deeply concerning and serious incident". The event comes amid wider legislative changes introduced last month to enhance safety standards in Australia’s childcare sector.
The mishap highlights critical gaps in daycare pick-up procedures and has led to an official probe and strengthened safety protocols.
This topic was reported by BBC.
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