Childcare advocates are urging operators to improve their own safety measures after a male worker allegedly tried to rape a toddler at a centre near Brisbane.
Australian Childcare Alliance president Gwynn Bridge said even though the employee held a blue card - which legally allowed him to work with children - it wasn't enough to prevent the "heartbreaking" incident.
"We certainly do have to look at it again and tighten up, and I think with individual services we have to tighten up there too and probably other procedures could be in place to just ensure that this doesn't happen," she told ABC radio.
Queensland police on Monday urged parents to trust the state's child protection system, saying government departments were working hard to share information on any suspicious behaviour.
The incident came to light after a woman arrived at the centre at Durack, west of Brisbane, to pick up her friend's two-year-old son on Friday.
When she couldn't find the boy she searched the premises and allegedly found the 20-year-old male employee trying to rape him.
The employee, who had been working at the day care centre for about six months, has been charged with a string of offences including attempted rape.
He has also been charged with possessing child exploitation material after police found anime files of children on his home computer.
He will face court again on Friday.
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