'Every parent's nightmare': Worker at major childcare provider caught on camera repeatedly slapping baby in disturbing video
A Sydney worker has been caught slapping a baby multiple times at a prominent childcare centre, sparking major concerns for children's safety at one of Australia's largest childcare providers.
In the shocking video filmed at an Affinity Education centre in south Strathfield, a staff member can be seen slapping a crying baby across the face multiple times while laughing during the cruel act.
The worker behind the camera posted the ordeal to Snapchat in 2023 and can be heard laughing alongside her colleague in the footage.
The video was obtained by the ABC's 7.30 program in a damning investigation into Affinity Education- one of Australia's largest for-profit childcare companies which has previously been hit with 1,700 regulatory breaches.
The childcare worker in the video has been sentenced to a community corrections order and banned from working in childcare for 12 months. Her colleague who recorded the footage has resigned from her role.
A former Affinity employee told the ABC the latest scandal at the childcare centre was a result of hiring the wrong people and not enough supervision, checks or balances.
She further added Affinity prioritised keeping the costs down, including wages.
"They were also putting on lots of trainees, like young trainees that were cheap to employ and that put a lot of pressure on the qualified staff," she told the ABC.
"They [Affinity] are just not suitable to be in the childcare industry because they are just so greedy.
"They cut staff, they put the staff under so much pressure … they're just a big company that wants to make money out of children."
Another former educator said Affinity was more focused on business outcomes rather than children's safety.
Affinity Education CEO Tim Hickey spoke on the disturbing video and said the business had acted swiftly after it was informed by police.
"I want to express again how profoundly sorry I am that something like this could occur to any child in our care," he said.
"These incidents are not representative of the dedicated, professional team who care for children every day across thousands of centres.''
The latest incident has ignited national outrage, Sydney radio host Ben Fordham on Tuesday morning labelling it "one of the most disturbing" acts he has seen in a long time.
"It is sickening," Fordham said on his 2GB show.
"It's every parent's nightmare, you think these people are looking after your little one, instead they are slapping your baby and sharing the video with their friends on Snapchat."
Fordham further criticised the regulator's disciplinary action against the childcare worker in the video and suggested she should be "banned for life".
Additional documents obtained by the ABC expose a concerning environment for children's safety at Affinity centres across the nation due to staffing and safety issues.
According to the ABC, in another recent case a mother picked up her son from an Affinity centre in Canberra and immediately knew something was wrong.
The child was acting unusually and lethargic at home, and the next day he was taken to hospital after his arms had swollen to twice their size.
Hospital scans confirmed the child had suffered a spiral fracture, which can be caused by forceful twisting.
Further, at a centre in Elderslie, in south-west Sydney, CCTV footage showed a toddler being pulled by the arm by a staff member and pushed across a room in 2023, according to the ABC.
Affinity runs about 250 centres nationwide, including the brands Papilio, Milestones and Kids Academy.
Despite recording over 1,700 regulatory breaches between 2021 and 2024, the company has been fined less than $2,000 over the period.
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