Grandmother banned from working with children for assaulting boy
A Queensland grandmother who repeatedly slapped and pulled the hair of a 10-year-old boy at her family daycare centre has lost the right to work with children again.
The woman was given a $300 good behaviour bond for the assault on the child in 2015, but then tried to renew her government blue card, which would allow her to continue caring for children.
In a written judgment published on Wednesday, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal refused to grant her a new blue card, ruling she was a risk to any child in her care.
The tribunal heard the mother of six and grandmother of four slapped the boy across the face on a number of occasions, and called him a āsmart arseā.
She also pulled his hair, which she said she didnāt see as a physical punishment.
She said she āknew it would hurt but believed it was the only action she could take in that particular situation at that particular timeā.
The assaults occurred in front of the childās younger brother.
She argued her blue card should be renewed as she was of otherwise good character, and that she had undertaken training in disciplinary strategies since the incident.
However, the tribunal ruled she ālacks insight into the harm that she may have caused to the child and the childās sibling as a result of her behaviourā.
āThe risk factors outweigh the protective factors,ā the tribunal found.
-AAP








