Ban male nursery workers?

[BluntPlumHam]

I came across this article which has left me quite sick.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cze665j2y51o.amp

Said 18 year old was newly qualified nursery worker who’d SA’d and raped 3 year olds.

Nurseries are desperate for workers and I have noticed through friends and families that there is now an increasing number of men entering the profession.

Men traditionally haven’t performed this role and I often find it difficult to envisage what attracts a male to this profession to begin with when we have so many instances of men who run away from childcare responsibilities.

Although men entering the profession can be a positive outcome the other very concerning outcome and on the potential rise is this.

Sex offenders will target this profession no doubt as it gives them easy access to children.

men are significantly more likely than women to sexually assault children.
Official statistics consistently show that the vast majority of individuals convicted of, or reported for, child sexual abuse (CSA) are male. For example:

• In the year ending March 2019, the Crime Survey for England and Wales found that 92% of adults who reported experiencing CSA said the perpetrator was male only.
• In 2022/23, almost 99% of individuals convicted of child sexual abuse offences in the UK were men.
• Reports to the Australian Royal Commission by victims and survivors of institutional abuse revealed that 93.9% of the abuse was perpetrated by an adult man.

So just a blanket ban on them all together ?

It isn’t my personal opinion but I do think we ought to have measures in place to make nurseries more secure and safer. This thread is to invite discussion.

Also, kudos to those brave little 3 year olds who had the courage to tell their parents because they’ve saved a lot of potential victims in the future. My thoughts and wishes for a life time of healing for them and theirs.

I worked in a nursery and nobody was ever alone with a child. The nursery did something massively wrong here.

I think the sector needs improvement. As it stands if I need a job next week, with no experience, I could find myself working in a nursery. That's the problem imo.

My kids' nursery has two male staff. There was a third one who I didn't particularly gel with but my impression of these two is positive.

My DC both had male child carers who were absolutely brilliant with them. YABU to tar all men with the same brush. YANBU to demand better staffing standards in nurseries which would mean no one was left alone 1:1

If this nursery did something massively wrong then so do most nurseries.
Did you always have two adults doing nappy changes, taking children to the toilet, putting babies to bed, sitting in the sleep room? If everyone was in the garden and one child needed a nappy change or the toilet did everyone come in?
Great if your nursery managed that but not practical in most settings.

@BluntPlumHam I really see where you're coming from. 😢 Legally though I just don't think it would be possible because of sex discrimination legislation.
This article is from Australia, but I think it's still relevant: "Paedophiles are using the dark web to share information about how to gain access to childcare centres to sexually abuse babies and toddlers while avoiding getting caught.
A Four Corners investigation has uncovered private forums where predators coach each other and post proof of their abuse. The forums give an insight into how organised and strategic these predators have become.
Inside these encrypted forums, predators swap tactics and advice. One of the most chilling questions posted is, "Where do I find a child?"
The answers are laid out in detailed paedophile handbooks — guides that cover everything from online security and grooming techniques to how to pass a job interview and build trust once inside a centre.
Every day on average, at least three cases of sexual and physical misconduct are reported in Australian childcare centres."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-28/paedophiles-share-childcare-abuse-tips-on-dark-web/105938932?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Millions of years of genetic pre-disposition.

Nah seems dodgy and pervy to me.

I don’t know if they did anything wrong but the nursery had an ofsted inspection immediately afterwards and they were kept open. The nursery always remained open.

the staff member was only there a matter of weeks. I only met him a couple of times but I was struck by how young he seemed - he seemed very immature even for 17 and to me that would have raised a flag.

“A tiny proportion” not really….

Have a read of some of the articles people have posted above from studies taken regarding this. It’s actually shocking

It primarily is. 98% of sex offenders are male.
But I'm not suggesting that a majority of men are and no I don't think male nursery workers should be banned. * *

"It primarily is. 98% of sex offenders are male."

Which means that the remainder are women and by the logic of this thread cannot be trusted either.

So either look after your own children or have elon musk program some of his robots for childcare.

Most nurseries will have teenage staff as apprentice wages are so much cheaper. And yes, 16 & 17 year olds are often immature! That in itself is normal in nurseries and not particularly a red flag.
Over the years I've had to tell apprentices that they can't call the children names, they can't swear in front of them, if they're wearing a skirt it needs to cover their bum and no one wants to see their knickers, acrylic nails are not in the dress code, they can't roll cigarettes ready for their break while supervising snack time, they can't nap in the sleep room. Nurseries expect that teenagers will need a lot of support and training.

What a ridiculous premise. Ban nearly half of the population because of the actions of a very few?
YABU

Yes, I agree you’ve met a few unusual people who think things like fathers should not change their children’s nappy. Again, pure exaggeration to say ‘so many people think all men are perverts’. It’s not evidence on this thread and your anecdotal examples are tenuous. I think it is reasonable based on statistical risk to ask questions about male staff alone with children. That’s not the is not the same as saying ‘all men are perverts’ and it’s reductive and dismissive to say so.

As I’ve said, I don’t agree that a ban is workable - but I think this is a very important discussion - I am more interested in the ‘what are we going to do about the problem we have in our society with men hurting and abusing?’ question.

I’m not sure I would go to the lengths you are to defend a stat which is clear cut. @Jollyjoy had posted a really good breakdown of the stats I made reference to in my op.

You will find most of the sex offenders in nurseries in recent years have been female tho i do agree with you

Most are female?

Ok well it was as a bit of a red flag to me and he turned out to be a monster. Not saying they all are but this one certainly was. It’s been hard to come to terms with the fact that I didn’t get a good vibe from him and knowing know what I know I feel sick. I read some of the comments online of people saying they would have taken one look at him and taken their child out of the nursery… now I have to live with the guilt of not protecting my child enough.

I have to say when I realised who it was I wasn’t surprised… had it been any other member of staff I would have been shocked. Obviously I was still shocked and horrified that it happened at all.

YABU

Thank you for posting this. My OP suggests that should there be a ban on male workers based on the statistics for child sexual abuse not because I think all men are sex offenders ergo I am a sexist.

That point is flying over the head of some.

It is the disproportionate amount of men committing said offence in comparison to women which is concerning.

We know the childcare sector needs workers and the entry requirements make it easy to get into. This makes safeguarding a big issue and I don’t think people should be allowed such easy access to early childcare settings.

This has also saved me from going to dig out the stats to see ‘60 percent of prisoners for sexual offences are Muslim’ holds any water. A quick search has shown that this is unsubstantiated however I invite @Bluecrystal2 to post her sources.

Britain's most prolific child serial killer is a woman.

Who? I’m not sure of the relevancy to this topic but regardless, I don’t think that Harold Shipman was a woman.

Child serial killer

So if you had a choice of having your toddler looked after by someone of the sex that 98% of sex crimes are committed by, or the sex that 2% of sex crimes are committed by, you would feel equally comfortable that neither will assault your child?

I have read all your posts on this thread. I’m so sorry you had to go through what you did. The police should have provided community liaison officers to assist anyone impacted which naturally all parents would have.

As you stated he was convicted of rape against children as young as 3 which is just unbearable to think about. In fact his crime was so serious he cannot be sentenced in the youth court.

I apologise if you found this thread distressing in anyway. I also don’t think you should have been flamed for your own thread that you created. This platform can become increasingly personal, unpleasant and vicious place for people to dump their vitriol disguised as opinion or advice.