5 Things Childcare Workers Should Never Do: Preserving and Nurturing Trust with Children

Introduction: Why is a "Do Not Do List" Necessary?

The 2024 revision of the Child Welfare Act tightened qualification management to eradicate obscene and abusive incidents by childcare workers. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has updated the "Guidelines for the Prevention of Abuse, etc." and the "Manual for Responding to Inappropriate Childcare," urging facilities to establish risk management systems.Childcare NextCFA Japan
Nevertheless, multiple inappropriate childcare videos spread on social media just between June and July 2025, turning the friction between childcare workers and parents into a social issue.Kodomo no Sora Sha
In this article, we integrate laws, academic research, and the latest cases to present the "Top 5 Actions to Absolutely Avoid."

Absolutely Prohibited Action ①: Corporal Punishment and Physical Restraint

1. What's the Problem?

• The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's guidelines prohibit all forms of corporal punishment. Actions like forcibly pulling a child's arm, hitting their head, or forcing them to sit can be illegal.CFA Japan

• Psychological studies report that experiences of corporal punishment lead to emotional instability and increased aggression, triggering long-term stress responses.J-STAGE

2. Real-life Example

On July 14, 2025, a video of a childcare worker hitting a child's head at a private facility went viral, leading to the suspension of six workers. The facility held an apology press conference and faced under-enrollment mid-year.Kodomo no Sora Sha

3. Prevention Measures

• Alternative Actions: Increase positive physical contact through gestures like high-fives and hand-holding

• Emotion Labeling: Verbalize children's emotions to help them cool down

• Third-party Checks: Deploy multiple staff in situations with close physical proximity, like nap time and bathroom breaks

Absolutely Prohibited Action ②: Verbal Abuse and Character Denial

1. What's the Problem?

Phrases like "I'll leave you behind!" or "You're a bad child" constitute psychological abuse, diminishing self-esteem and undermining trust.Kodomo no Sora Sha

2. Impact

• Verbal violence is directly linked to emotional instability and the suppression of self-expression.J-STAGE

3. Prevention Measures

• Separate facts and emotions using I-messages

• Share a language guideline within the facility and conduct monthly role-play training

Absolutely Prohibited Action ③: Neglect and Abandonment of Supervisory Responsibility

1. What's the Problem?

Leaving children out of sight for extended periods or isolating a crying child in another room constitutes "neglect," increasing the risk of serious accidents.Kodomo no Sora Sha

2. Mechanism of Accidents

• Risks skyrocket with the cube of blind spots, dangerous areas (play equipment, water areas), and staff shortages

• The 2024 guidelines reinforced staffing according to enrollment.Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

3. Prevention Measures

• Zoning and Traffic Flow Design: Color-code danger areas within the classroom

• Introduce ICT Monitoring Systems and share logs

Absolutely Prohibited Action ④: Favoritism and Discriminatory Treatment

1. What's the Problem?

Praising only obedient children or denying the cultural background of specific families constitutes latent discrimination, negatively affecting social development and undermining trust in fairness.Nozomi Kai Kashinomi Nursery School, a Trustworthy Nursery in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture

2. Impact

• Dependence on a close few can create a breeding ground for bullying.

• It also lowers the childcare worker's self-efficacy regarding professional ethics

3. Prevention Measures

• Quantify and visualize the amount of praise and caution comments in daily logs

• Introduce multicultural picture books and events

Absolutely Prohibited Action ⑤: Privacy Protection Violations

1. What's the Problem?

• Unauthorized posting of photos on social media or revealing children's episodes on parent LINE groups violates the Personal Information Protection Law. Following an obscene video leak incident in May 2025, guidelines mandated image management rules.CFA Japan

2. Impact

• It can affect the child's future social credibility

• Increasing cases of facilities facing damage compensation claims

3. Prevention Measures

• Centralized management of photography consent forms

• Store images only on facility servers, prohibit external cloud storage

Checklist to Strengthen Trust with Parents, Colleagues, and the Entire Facility

• Include a "Concerning Behaviors" section in daily childcare logs for sharing

• Monthly rotation to present near-miss incidents

• Conduct a trust-building workshop (based on positive psychology) during new employee traininghoikushi-jobs.com

• Quantify "sense of security scores" through biannual parent surveys

Conclusion

Children shape their identities by mirroring trustworthy adults. The courage for childcare workers to refrain from certain actions and reflect on their daily behavior is the best strategy for improving childcare. The five items highlighted today are all actions that can be avoided. Let's learn as a team and foster a culture that not only complies with laws but also protects the dignity of children.J-STAGE

List of Reference Articles (External Links, Chronological Order)

1. Explanation of Key Points in the Child Welfare Act Revision (2024-06-01)

2. Guidelines for the Prevention of Abuse and Response to Incidents in Childcare Facilities (2023-05-12)

3. Response to Inappropriate Childcare (2021-03-15)

4. Guide to Prevent Sexual Violence in Childcare Settings (2025-05-28)

5. Let's Think About Inappropriate Childcare Case Studies (2025-07-14)

6. Changes in Childcare Quality Through Trust-Building