'Distraught' parents want answers after two children go missing from childcare centre

Northside Community Service has apologised to "distraught" parents after two five-year-olds left a Dickson childcare centre and were later found by police.

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The two boys left Majura Early Childhood Centre during the preschool rest period on Monday, October 12.

'Distraught' parents want answers after two children go missing from childcare centre

The children used a wooden bench flipped on its side to climb over a two-metre high Colorbond fence unnoticed.

A member of the public found the children and contacted ACT Policing about 1.30pm.

Police then contacted the children's parents, who collected the children and returned with them to the centre.

The father of one of the boys said he and the child's mother were "pretty distraught" to receive a call from police at 1.50pm about their son, rather than from the centre directly.

The parents have lodged a complaint with Northside Community Service and the early childhood regulator.

They have decided to take their children out of the centre in the wake of the incident.

"The whole point of putting our kids into childcare is to make sure that they're being watched and being supervised. And if they can't even do that, then they failed their duty of care," the father said.

Northside Community Service has apologised to families after two five-year-olds left Majura Early Childhood Centre. Picture supplied

"We're paying them money obviously to feed them and look after them. I'm not saying our child's perfect either, but he's a little boy. He's five years old and he wants to get in and out and do things, but they failed their duty of care, which is literally just to supervise the kids."

The father said it was lucky the children were not hurt during the incident.

Northside Community Service chief executive Dan English said some staff members have been stood down while the incident is being investigated.

"I sincerely apologise to the families. I really take the trust that families put in us incredibly seriously," Mr English said.

"We're working closely with the children's parents and we're listening to their concerns and trying to make sure we support them."

The equipment the boys used to climb the fence has been removed.

Additional staff have been brought into the centre and members of the quality and compliance team will be on site for the next few weeks.

The children used a bench to climb over the fence. Picture supplied

Northside appointed an independent external investigator to look into the circumstances of the incident and provide recommendations to strengthen safety and supervision arrangements.

Mr English said he was at the centre when the children returned. He said the children were in good spirits and were excited to show the adults how they had climbed over the fence.

"They were industrious and entrepreneurial in the way they actually got out," Mr English said.

"When somebody told me that they went over the fence, I just couldn't imagine how they might have gone over the fence.

"But you know they managed to use some playground equipment to build themselves a tower, and that allowed them to kind of reach the top of the fence, and they kind of scoot over and drop down the other side."

He said when the member of the public saw the children near the centre, they laughed and ran away.

The person contacted police, who found the children on Majura Avenue near Hawdon Street. The centre is on Rosevear Place, off Antill Street.

Mr English said the centre was within staff ratios at the time of the incident but the investigation would look at how the supervision processes broke down.

"There was a breakdown in that process, and I very clearly want to understand where that was, what we need to do about it, and what we can do to make sure it doesn't happen again."

The centre has notified the childcare regulator of the incident.

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