The central questions after two five-year-olds left a Canberra childcare centre are how they got away and how long it took staff to realise they were missing. Their mother, Naomi Brooks, says her son walked about two kilometres and crossed four streets before members of the public stopped the boys. The distance matters because it points to more than a momentary move beyond the playground: the children were able to keep going through public streets before an adult intervened.
The children escaped from Majura Early Childhood Centre in Dickson last Monday during rest time. They reportedly turned play equipment on its side, climbed a bench and scaled a fence. Two members of the public spotted them and called ACT Police after 1pm. Police reunited the children with their parents at about 2:30pm, after determining which service they had left. That timeline describes when police were called and when the children were returned; it doesn't establish when centre staff first noticed they were gone.
The boys escaped from the Dickson centre by climbing a bench and scaling a fence. The bench has since been moved. (Supplied)
A parent still seeking answers
Brooks learned her son was missing when a police officer came to her home. “I just froze, because when a police officer comes to your house and asks [after] your child, you think they're dead or at least seriously hurt,” she said. Her first question was why he wasn’t at the childcare centre. The shock of that visit has become part of a larger concern: she still wants a clear account of how the children left and when staff became aware.
She has spent the past week piecing together what happened from her son, police and people who encountered the children. Brooks said the boys covered roughly two kilometres around Dickson and would have kept running if passers-by had not stopped them. The centre has not publicly explained when or how staff discovered the children were gone. That unanswered interval is central to assessing the incident, since it would help establish how long the children were without the centre’s supervision.
The children went missing from Majura Early Childhood Centre last week and were later found by police. (Supplied)
Brooks said she was “flabbergasted” by how difficult it had been to get information from Northside Community Services, the centre’s provider. The organisation declined to answer specific questions while an investigation is underway. Brooks said the investigator Northside appointed had not spoken with her or her son, and that the provider had not called her as of Monday. The investigation may take time, but a family’s need for basic communication doesn't depend on a final report.
“They can't pick up a phone and say sorry? I want [CEO] Dan English to pick up the phone and say sorry,” she said. Brooks has applied to withdraw both her children from the centre, saying she no longer trusts its supervision. She described the educators as “fabulous” but said the incident left her concerned they may have been overworked. Here's the thing: a parent can value the staff and still question whether the arrangements around them were adequate.
Northside says investigation is continuing
Northside has reiterated its apology to the children and their families. In an update to parents on Tuesday, chief executive Dan English said families deserved answers about what happened and what measures would follow. He said investigators needed time to check and verify information so findings would be supported by evidence. That is a reasonable description of an inquiry’s purpose, but it doesn't answer the family’s immediate question about how the centre lost track of two children.
The centre says the pair timed their escape during the children's rest time. (ABC News: Lily Nothling)
Northside confirmed it had engaged a former Australian Federal Police investigator with child-safety expertise. English said the inquiry would include conversations with the children’s parents. The provider also said it had increased staffing at Majura and placed a member of its Quality and Compliance team at the centre to support staff and families. Those steps indicate an immediate response, though they don't by themselves explain how the escape happened or whether supervision practices will change more broadly.
What families will be watching
Brooks’s demand for direct contact now sits alongside Northside’s promise of answers after its investigation. The provider says it is continuing to engage with the families, the childcare regulator and ACT Policing. Northside has said any time a child is outside its care and supervision is unacceptable; the investigation is expected to clarify how that failure occurred and what changes will follow. The public account will matter most if it connects the sequence of events to specific corrective steps, rather than stopping at an apology.
For families, the questions are practical: how were children accounted for during rest time, how was the exit possible, and what happens when a child cannot be located? The source doesn't yet provide answers, and it would be premature to assume what the inquiry will find. If you're working in childcare, this is more significant than it looks: a fence and a staffing response are only part of the picture. Communication with parents and a clear explanation of the supervision breakdown will shape whether confidence can be restored.
