All nurseries could be made to install CCTV after a string of “harrowing” child abuse cases, the Prime Minister has indicated.
Sir Keir Starmer said his government was “considering whether it should be mandatory in early [years] settings” on Wednesday.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, he was asked by Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson what minsters were doing to “ensure that no parent ever has to fear for their child's safety” when leaving them to go to work.
She pointed to the case of Roksana Lecka, who was jailed after abusing 21 babies while employed at the Riverside Nursery in her Twickenham constituency and that of a paedophile Vincent Chan, who admitted a series of charges while working in a classroom at Bright Horizons in Camden.
“The manslaughter of baby Gigi Meehan at a nursery in Cheadle, 21 counts of child cruelty at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham Green, in my constituency, 56 charges of sexual assault and creating indecent images at a nursery in Camden,” Ms Wilson said.
“And just this week, 21 counts of sexual abuse at a nursery in Bristol. CCTV was critical for convicting the criminals in most of these cases.
“So will the Prime Minister ensure that no parent ever has to fear for their child's safety while they go to work by introducing mandatory CCTV in nurseries and a childcare workers register?”
Sir Keir replied: “They are harrowing cases for everyone in this country. The safety of children is, of course, paramount, and we're acting to keep them safe.
“We're implementing all the proposals consulted on to strengthen safeguarding as part of our early years foundation stage framework expert group, developing guidance on the effective use of CCTV, the point she makes, and considering whether it should be mandatory in early settings.”
Chan is facing years behind bars for molesting girls aged three and four while working at the Bright Horizons nursery in Finchley Road, West Hampstead.
The 45-year-old filmed himself carrying out the abuse, during naptime at the nursery, and also confessed to downloading thousands of indecent images of children.
He is due to be sentenced on Tuesday, February 12.
Lecka abused 21 babies, including kicking one little boy in the face and stepping on his shoulder.
She has been jailed for eight years for showing “horrendous cruelty” over a six month period at the £23,000-a-year Riverside Nursery in Twickenham.
The 22-year-old was deported to Poland earlier this month.
