Key facts
- Babies under 12 months in English nurseries will be banned from sleeping in anything other than a cot from September.
- Ofsted will triple unannounced nursery inspections, adding 3,000 visits per year.
- Nursery deputy manager Kate Roughley was jailed for 14 years for the manslaughter of nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan.
- Genevieve's parents campaigned for stricter regulations after her death in May 2022.
- Mandatory CCTV in nurseries is being considered by ministers.
Parents of a nine-month-old girl who died after being placed in an unsafe sleeping position at a nursery have expressed fears that poor practice is widespread across England. Genevieve Meehan suffocated in May 2022 when she was strapped face down to a beanbag for over an hour at a nursery in Cheadle Hulme. Her death led to the nursery's deputy manager, Kate Roughley, being jailed for 14 years for manslaughter.
Genevieve's parents, Katie and John Meehan, have been campaigning with the Lullaby Trust charity to improve nursery safety and regulation. Their efforts, alongside other high-profile cases of abuse and neglect in childcare settings, have prompted significant changes. From September, childcare settings in England will be prohibited from allowing babies under 12 months to sleep in anything other than a cot. This change aims to prevent deaths like Genevieve's, which occurred due to unsafe sleeping arrangements.
In response to the campaign, Ofsted, the regulator, will triple the number of unannounced inspections, conducting an additional 3,000 visits annually with increased government funding. Nurseries will now be inspected every four years instead of six, with a specific focus on sleeping policies. The Department for Education (DfE) revealed that some nurseries had privately reported continuing unsafe practices, such as leaving babies to sleep in pushchairs or even outdoors, citing space limitations or 'forest school models'.
Some nursery owners have voiced concerns that the new cot-only rule may force them to reduce the number of infants they can accommodate, as cots take up more space than alternative beds like dream coracles. John Meehan expressed concern that profit motives, particularly for nurseries backed by private equity firms, might be prioritized over child safety. Ministers are also considering the introduction of mandatory CCTV in all nurseries, a key demand of the Meehan family, which they believe was crucial in securing the conviction in Genevieve's case. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has reportedly been supportive of this measure.