Western Australia Educator Convicted of Assault Against Child

According to the Department of Communities website, Kathleen Burton (certified supervisor at an undisclosed service), on 4 December 2017 smacked and put soap in the mouth of an autistic six year old child as a form of punishment and lesson for behaviour management. The certified supervisor failed to report the incident to the child’s parent, the approved provider or the Department. The certified supervisor was charged by police with one count of aggravated common assault and pleaded guilty. Accordingly the Department cancelled the supervisor's certificate of Kathleen Burton effective from 14 February 2018. In addition, the certified supervisor certificates of Tammie Bell and Jessica Peters were cancelled for their roles in the incident.