A Labour MP has called for enhanced DBS checks and new sleeping guidelines to be implemented nationally in nurseries as part of a two-fold plan to protect children. Sonia Kumar, MP for Dudley, raised the tragic case of Noah Sibanda, a 14-month-old who died at Fairytales Day Nursery in Dudley in December 2022 after a staff member placed a blanket over his head and repeatedly forced him to sleep.
Rising Incidents in Nurseries
According to figures obtained by the BBC, there were almost 20,000 reports of serious childcare incidents in English nurseries in the five years to March 2024, a 40% increase compared to the previous five years. Ms Kumar said: “It was heartbreaking to hear this story when Noah’s mother, Masi Sibanda, first came to speak to me about it. You would never want your child to be in a situation where you are dropping them off in good faith to not have them return.”
Current Requirements and Updates
Currently, it is a legal requirement for anyone working directly with children to have an enhanced DBS check with barred lists. The Department for Education is updating the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework to incorporate strict, standardised “safer sleep” requirements directly into legislation for September 2026. However, Ms Kumar said that despite these measures, “something has gone terribly wrong”. She emphasised the need to address the root causes, stating it is “the responsibility of management and leadership” to “root out anyone who shouldn’t be doing the job”.
CCTV Debate
The installation of CCTV in nurseries has been proposed to enhance safety. A survey by the National Day Nursery Association (NDNA) in April found that only around a third of nurseries have CCTV. Out of 276 respondents, 94 currently use CCTV, 98 have no plans to introduce it, and 84 are considering it. Mandatory CCTV has been a key part of the Campaign for Gigi, named after nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan who died in 2022 after being strapped face down to a beanbag in a nursery in Stockport. Her parents, Katie and John Meehan, along with The Lullaby Trust, have called for CCTV to be used by Ofsted for monitoring. The parents believe that without CCTV, they would not have known how unsafely she was put to sleep.
A Westminster Hall debate on CCTV in nurseries took place in February, where Early Years Minister Olivia Bailey announced a monthly expert advisory panel to consider how CCTV and digital devices should be employed. Grieving parents will be invited to contribute to this panel. Ms Kumar noted that while CCTV can help bring perpetrators to justice, it manages “the symptom, not the root of the problem”, pointing out that Noah’s nursery had CCTV but it did not prevent his death.
Call for Consistent Training
Jenny Ward, chief executive of The Lullaby Trust, said they would like to see CCTV used as part of “regular monitoring and training, and not only once a serious incident has happened”. She highlighted inconsistencies in systems and safeguards, noting that until recently there was a lack of clear statutory guidance on safer sleep in nursery settings. “There can also be inconsistent training and knowledge, meaning not all staff are trained on safer sleep and would feel confident to identify or challenge unsafe practices,” she said. “The next priority is ensuring that knowledge is passed on in training for early years staff, and embedded into systems. When guidance is clear, training is consistent and safeguards are robust – it better supports early years professionals to keep children safe.”
