Concerns Melbourne childcare worker charged with sexual abuse offences had wider work history than initially disclosed

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"Melbourne Childcare Worker Charged with Multiple Offences Under Investigation for Broader Work History"

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Joshua Dale Brown, a 26-year-old childcare worker in Melbourne, has been charged with over 70 offences involving eight alleged victims, all aged between five months and two years. The charges stem from incidents that reportedly occurred while Brown was employed at a childcare centre in Melbourne's western suburbs. In addition, police are investigating further allegations related to his time at another centre in the northern suburbs. Authorities have identified a total of 20 childcare centres where Brown worked between January 2017 and May 2025 and are actively contacting approximately 2,600 families whose children may have been in his care. Of these, about 1,200 children are being advised to undergo screenings for infectious diseases due to the serious nature of the allegations against Brown.

The childcare company that employed Brown, Affinity Education, is currently reviewing its records to ascertain whether he had more contact with children than previously disclosed. The company has already provided payroll information during the initial police investigation, but concerns have emerged that Brown may have worked additional days that were not initially reported. A spokesperson for Affinity Education stated that they are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the children and families in their care while fully cooperating with the authorities. The investigation by Victoria police is ongoing, and updates will be released as new information becomes available. As of the latest reports, the police's dedicated website had not been updated with new details regarding Brown's employment history, but they assured that they are compiling information from various sources to ensure a thorough investigation.

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A childcare company that hired alleged paedophile Joshua Dale Brown is reviewing its records to determine whether he had any additional contact with infants and children during his employment.

Police on Tuesday announced the26-year-old childcare workerhad been charged with more than 70 offences relating to eight alleged victims, aged between five months and two years old.

The offences were alleged to have occurred while Brown was working at a childcare centre in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Police were also investigating allegations of offending at a second centre in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

Authoritiesreleased a list of 20 childcare centreswhere Brown worked between January 2017 and May 2025, along with his known employment dates.

About 2,600 families whose children attended those centres were being contacted, with 1,200 children being advised to undergo infectious disease screening.

However, there were concerns that Brown may have attended some centres on more days than those initially disclosed by Victorian authorities.

Guardian Australia understands that Affinity Education, which operates 10 of the 20 centres on the list, provided payroll data relating to Brown as part of the initial police investigation. On Thursday, after rechecking and cross-referencing the data with other information, the company returned to police with additional details about his work history.

A spokesperson for Affinity Education confirmed it was reviewing its records.

“Given the serious nature of the matter, we are currently reviewing our records in detail to ensure completeness. Affinity Education continues to cooperate fully with authorities and remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of the children and families in our care,” the spokesperson said.

Victoria police said in a statement that its investigation was ongoing and any updates would be madevia its dedicated website.

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“As part of the ongoing investigation, information has been compiled from a number of sources and records in relation to Brown’s employment history,” they said.

“That information including dates and locations was released on Tuesday 1 July, based on what was known at that point in time. The investigation remains ongoing and any updates to the current information will be released accordingly via the website.”

As of 5pm on Thursday the website had not been updated.

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Source: The Guardian