Joshua Brown

📍 Location

📝 Description

Joshua Dale Brown, a 26-year-old childcare worker in the Melbourne area, has become the focal point of a high-profile safety investigation into abuse allegations and regulator oversight. He was terminated from Nido Early School in Werribee in July 2021 during probation for an internal policy breach related to a incident report, not for abuse of children. He later worked at Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook, where police allege eight children aged five months to two years were sexually abused between 2022 and 2023. In 2025 authorities identified 23 centres Brown had worked at since 2017, notified about 2,600 families, and advised infectious-disease testing for about 1,200–2,000 children as a precaution. The case triggered an urgent safety review in Victoria, including potential CCTV in centres and a statewide childcare worker registry; Brown’s Working with Children Check has been revoked and he remains in custody as prosecutors pursue the case. By December 4, 2025, prosecutors added 83 new charges, bringing the total to 156 offences and identifying four additional victims across three centres, intensifying calls for reform and stronger data-sharing across regulators.

🔍 Circumstances

The investigation began from alleged offences at the Point Cook Creative Garden centre and expanded to Brown’s broader Melbourne employment history. He was arrested in May 2025, with multiple charges announced. A public list of 23 known workplaces was released, and health authorities advised testing for thousands of children. A Victorian government urgent safety review was ordered in July 2025; by December 2025 the case had expanded with hundreds more charges and additional victims identified.

👤 Physical Description

Public reporting identifies Brown as a 26-year-old male; no further public physical descriptions have been released.

ℹ️ Additional Details

Regulatory data-sharing gaps in the childcare sector were highlighted, with discussions about CCTV in centres and a national registry for childcare workers. About 2,600 families were contacted, and approximately 1,200–2,000 children were advised to undergo infectious-disease testing as a precaution. Brown’s Working with Children Check has been revoked; ongoing court proceedings were anticipated in 2025–2026. Updates continued through December 2025 with a substantial expansion of charges and victims identified.

🔗 Sources (12)

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