Overview

• The one-year-old was mistakenly handed to a grandparent at First Steps Learning Academy in Bangor and taken home for several hours.
• Staff discovered the error when the child’s mother arrived to collect him, then used CCTV and calls to parents to locate and recover the child.
• The NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority has launched a thorough investigation that will also review the service’s compliance history.
• First Steps has stood down the educator involved and introduced new safeguards, including ID verification at the door, authorised collection cards and extra staff during peak times.
• NSW Police were notified and said no offences were detected, intensifying scrutiny of childcare safety practices and oversight across the sector.