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Baby Left Alone for Over 30 Minutes After Busy Bees Staff Left for the Day

On August 12, 2024, a distressing incident occurred at the Busy Bees daycare centre in Mirrabooka, Perth, when a 16-month-old baby was left unattended for over half an hour after staff had locked up and left for the day. The child’s mother arrived before closing time only to find lights off, doors locked, and no response to emergency contact calls. She then waited outside for 40 minutes in mounting panic before staff re-opened the centre and located her baby sleeping safely in a cot (7NEWS, News.com.au, The Guardian).

In response, two staff members were stood down pending a comprehensive internal review of centre policies and procedures (7NEWS, The Guardian, News.com.au). Busy Bees stated that child safety remains their top priority, assured support to the affected family, and emphasized they were taking the incident seriously (7NEWS, News.com.au, The Guardian). The centre has also been working closely with Western Australia’s Education and Care Regulatory Unit (ECRU), and the Department of Communities has confirmed they handle all related complaints and ensure appropriate actions are taken (The Guardian).

This alarming case is not isolated—Busy Bees Mirrabooka previously made headlines when a toddler pricked herself with a needle in April 2024, and in 2021 the centre was fined $14,000 after another child escaped undetected (The West Australian, News.com.au, The Guardian). These repeated safety breaches have understandably raised serious concerns among parents and the community about the reliability of care at the centre.

As the internal review proceeds, parents and regulators alike are closely watching how Busy Bees will reinforce safety protocols and restore trust in their childcare services.