A parent whose child was one of eight children allegedly abused by accused Melbourne paedophile Joshua Dale Brown is suing their former daycare centre for damages, as dozens of other families seek legal advice.

Arnold Thomas & Becker said it was filing a claim against national childcare giant G8 – the operator of several centres where Brown worked – on behalf of the parent, while more than 100 families had contacted the firm for legal advice.

Given the influx of inquiries, Arnold Thomas & Becker said it would hold a free information night for parents on Thursday night.

Brown, 26, is in custody and will be brought to court in September to face more than 70 charges, including sexually penetrating a child under 12, attempting to sexually penetrate a child under 12, sexually assaulting a child under 16 and producing child abuse material. Any civil cases will not affect the charges against Brown, which must be proven beyond reasonable doubt.

Principal lawyer Jodie Harris said families felt confused and alone as they faced three-hour waits for hotlines about the crisis before being provided with generic information.

“There’s a lot of misinformation, parents are reeling with where do they turn to for answers,” she said.

Harris said the firm had been contacted by families whose children were alleged victims as well as parents who had been told to get their child tested for STIs.

“Those parents are traumatised, a lot of them. One parent is ringing me saying the other one can’t get out of bed; ‘We’ve taken [the child] for testing, had to hold our children down screaming for blood tests’. Some of them have had more intimate examinations than that.

“It’s difficult to explain to [the children] why.”

Harris said some parents were now worried whether their child’s nappy rash or recurrent urinary tract infections might be related to the scandal.

“They don’t know. It’s difficult because the kids can’t verbalise it,” she said.

Arnold Thomas & Becker’s information evening is on Thursday, July 10, at 6.30pm at the Sanctuary Lakes Function and Event Centre in Point Cook. Register at: https://www.arnoldthomasbecker.com.au/cai

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