We trust childcare workers to look after our children. Now this horrific video shows every parent's worst nightmare
Concerning Snapchat video has emerged of a NSW childcare worker slapping a crying baby in the face.
The video, obtained by the ABC's 7.30, was filmed at an Affinity Education centre in the inner western Sydney suburb of South Strathfield.
The nine second-long video, shot in May 2023, was filmed by another colleague and is just one incident among hundreds uncovered in newly released public documents.
The broadcaster looked into Affinity Education - which runs 250 childcare centres across the country - after NSW Greens MP Abigail Boyd petitioned the state's childcare regulator to release a tranche of industry regulatory paperwork.
One former Affinity employee said cost cutting at her workplace had reduced the staff-to-child ratios to worrying levels and 'caused serious incidents in the centre'.
The former staff member said young, untrained workers were being hired because they were cheaper than experienced educators with years of good references.
She said the video was a symptom of that larger problem.
The childcare worker in the video was convicted of common assault and given a community corrections order. She was also banned by the regulator from working in childcare for 12 months.
The colleague who filmed the video resigned.
Affinity CEO Tim Hickey said the 'safety, wellbeing, and development of every child' must be the first priority.
He said the business had acted swiftly after it was informed of the incident by police.
'I want to express again how profoundly sorry I am that something like this could occur to any child in our care.
'These incidents are not representative of the dedicated, professional team who care for children every day across thousands of centres.'
Another 2023 incident investigated by the regulator involved a worker, captured on CCTV in the south-west Sydney suburb of Elderslie, pulling a small child by the arm across the floor of a childcare centre.
A further incident from Epping in Sydney's north saw a child require medical treatment for a dislocated elbow after an educator grabbed them by the wrist and yanked them backwards.
That staff member was also banned from working in childcare for 12 months.
The documents detail scores of other similar shocking incidents.
The ABC claimed that between 2021 and 2024 Affinity Education centres in NSW were hit with more than 1,700 regulatory breaches.
It was issued nine infringements notices and received less than $2,000 in penalties.
Affinity is owned by a private equity firm and runs childcares centres under three marquee brands Milestones, Papilio and Kids Academy.
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