Care & Teaching Child Abuse, Poverty, Vulnerable Children Covering up Child Abuse in Childcare and Early Childhood Education Services
Covering up Child Abuse in Childcare and Early Childhood Education Services
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A Father writes:
My son's daycare is covering up child abuse. My son is 4 years and lives with his mother in the lower North Island. His daycare is part of a profit-making childcare chain run from Auckland. He's enrolled for 49 hours a week and has been going since he was 4 months.
Last year the police investigated injuries to him at the daycare.
I don't believe the injuries happened to him there. I have spoken to the centre manager about another child and father (who lives next door to my son and attends the daycare too). The manager denies they are assaulting and abusing him but another staff member admitted to me that the family is having problems. When I spoke with one of the owners, he only wanted to know who told me the truth and didn’t see there was any problem with abuse.
At the daycare I have also witnessed some teachers verbally abusing children, shouting across the room, barging into toilets etc.
What concerns me even more is that my son is now punching other children when things aren't going his way. He’s started sucking his thumb. He’s picked up some bad swearing, and he’s aggressive with toys. All I can say about this is it is absolutely soul destroying to see my son suffer. I have talked with CYF but his mother refused my request to have him for a week’s holiday. What has our society turned into? But hey at the daycare they just think I'm a paranoid and malicious father out to cause trouble. Thanks for your help.
Below is information (not legal advice) about the role of early childhood providers and teachers in child advocacy, their responsibilities under the regulations for early childhood services, and research evidence on the effects on children's behaviour of being in early childhood education for more than 30 hours a week.
Information is given for seeking help from other agencies such as CYF and what to do if you feel you are not being listened to. Contact details are given. Ideas are given for possible ways of turning things around for the child.
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