A grandfather in Sydney accidentally took home the wrong child from a local daycare, prompting an investigation and renewed focus on childcare safety.
The incident occurred at First Steps Learning Academy in Bangor on Monday afternoon. The grandfather arrived to collect his grandchild but mistakenly took another child who was asleep in a dark room. The mix-up only came to light when the child’s mother arrived to pick up her one-year-old and discovered the child was missing.
“I can’t explain the feeling,” the mother told the Sydney Morning Herald. “They couldn’t tell me his name, who he was meant to pick up, or what he looked like, apart from that he was wearing shorts and was an older gentleman.”
Under standard safety protocols, childcare centres only allow recognised parents, guardians, or carers to collect children. However, the mother emphasized that the grandfather should not be blamed for the incident. “We are not angry with him. We are not upset at him – we blame the daycare,” she said.
The grandfather’s wife described him as “devastated” and said he “owned the mistake.” She added that he returned the child to the daycare as quickly as possible once the error was realized.
First Steps Learning Academy confirmed that the staff member involved had been stood down. Nursery director Trisha Hastie issued an apology, stating: “We sincerely apologise to the families directly involved in this deeply upsetting and isolated incident. This has never happened before at any of our nurseries, and we have since strengthened procedures to ensure this never happens again.”
The New South Wales Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority has launched an investigation into the incident, describing it as “deeply concerning and serious.”
This event comes amid heightened scrutiny of childcare safety across Australia, following new legislative measures announced last month aimed at improving standards in the sector.
Parents and childcare providers alike are urged to remain vigilant and adhere strictly to collection protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.
