The parents of a nine-month-old girl who suffocated at nursery say they fear dangerous sleeping practices could be common across England, after officials revealed the scale of concerning arrangements uncovered during consultation on new safety rules. Katie and John Meehan launched a campaign following the death of their daughter Genevieve, who died in May 2022 after being left face-down against a beanbag for an hour and 37 minutes at a nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport. The nursery's deputy manager, Kate Roughley, was convicted of manslaughter in 2024, and a colleague was later jailed for what was described as "deplorable" treatment of other babies in her care.
What prompted the couple's warning?
Katie Meehan, 42, said she was "really shocked" after nurseries wrote privately to the Department for Education this year detailing practices used when putting infants to sleep. Some settings admitted leaving babies in pushchairs because of limited space, while others described putting infants to sleep outdoors under "forest school models or Scandinavian practices". She said these disclosures suggested unsafe sleeping might be "rife" nationally and should serve as a "wake-up call" for regulators and government officials.
How does this fit into wider concerns about nursery safety?
The childcare sector has faced intense scrutiny following separate cases involving nursery workers Nathan Bennett and Vincent Chan, who sexually abused children in their care. Chan received an 18-year sentence in February for what was called "every parent's worst nightmare", while Bennett was jailed for 24 years in March for raping and abusing young children. A further case involved nursery worker Kimberley Cookson, sentenced over the death of 14-month-old Noah Sibanda, who had been restrained face-down with a blanket covering his head at nap time.
An earlier investigation found that warnings about Bennett and Chan had gone unheeded for months, prompting increased regulatory attention on their respective nursery chains. Separately, Ofsted issued a compliance notice to the Bright Horizons nursery chain, citing significant safeguarding weaknesses across its 247 settings and demanding improvements to leadership and safeguarding practice by 1 August.
What changes are being introduced?
From September, childcare providers in England will be prohibited from settling babies under 12 months to sleep in anything other than a cot. Ofsted will nearly triple its unannounced inspections, adding roughly 3,000 extra visits annually with the help of an additional £8m in government funding, and will move to inspecting nurseries every four years rather than six. Every inspection will now examine sleeping policies specifically.
Although nurseries are already legally bound to follow NHS safer sleep guidance — including placing babies on their backs — the government's new wording will state plainly that "babies aged one year and under must only be placed to sleep in a cot". Some nursery owners have warned the rule change will force them to reduce the number of infants they can accommodate, and several have raised concerns that it may effectively outlaw smaller alternatives such as dream coracles, which take up less space than a full cot and have grown in popularity in recent years.
Why are the Meehans concerned about profit motives?
John Meehan, 40, said he worried that some providers — many of them private equity-backed firms — might be prioritising profit ahead of child safety.
There are lots and lots of people out there who just want to do their absolute best and they go into that industry because they want to look after children. But my impression from some of the responses is that they are taking too many children and there is a money incentive for them to do so, and that is a real concern.
How big is the scale of the problem nationally?
According to a national broadcaster's investigation, the Meehans' campaign has pointed to nearly 20,000 serious childcare incidents recorded across England's nurseries over a five-year period, with the most recent 2023-24 figures showing a 40% rise compared with five years earlier, according to a national broadcaster's report. The family's campaign, now formally known as the Campaign for Gigi and backed by the Lullaby Trust alongside local MP Tom Morrison, is calling for mandatory CCTV in nurseries, routine unannounced inspections, compulsory safe-sleep training for staff, and clearer statutory rules governing sleep products, according to the Lullaby Trust.
A post-mortem examination found that Genevieve's death resulted from a combination of asphyxia and pathophysiological stress caused by an unsafe sleep environment, according to Greater Manchester Police. Experts told the court that a baby's safest sleeping position is on their back, and that an infant's head or face should never be covered.
What role did CCTV play in securing the conviction?
Footage from CCTV cameras at the nursery was central to securing Roughley's manslaughter conviction, a fact that has driven the family's push for mandatory camera use across the sector. According to a regional broadcaster's report, the Meehans' wider campaign for reform stems in part from the experience of having their daughter's final moments captured on camera, a detail described by a regional broadcaster.
What happens next?
Ministers are now weighing whether to introduce mandatory CCTV in nurseries, one of the central demands of the Meehans' campaign. Olivia Bailey, the former early years minister who led the latest round of reforms, is understood to have been persuaded by arguments in favour of compulsory cameras, though she left her post in a reshuffle after Andy Burnham became prime minister. Katie Meehan said she was disappointed by Bailey's departure but remains hopeful that Burnham will carry the reforms forward, having met Genevieve's family earlier this year while he was mayor of Greater Manchester. She said Burnham voiced particular support for mandatory CCTV, telling the family: "Genevieve was a child of Manchester and she was failed. We've got to make sure it doesn't happen again." No specific date for a parliamentary decision on compulsory CCTV has yet been announced, according to the regional broadcaster's coverage.
What has the government said?
The Department for Education said Genevieve's death was a tragedy and that her parents' campaigning had already changed practice nationwide.
What happened to Genevieve was a tragedy, and her parents' campaigning has already changed practice across the country. We will keep going until no family goes through what theirs has. The vast majority of settings do a brilliant job, and the response to our updated guidance showed a sector that wants to get this right. But settings have long been legally required to follow NHS safer sleep guidance, and that is why we are working with the Lullaby Trust to make those expectations unambiguous, so there can be no excuses for unsafe practice.
Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted's chief inspector, praised the Meehans' advocacy and confirmed that safe sleeping practices will now be assessed at every inspection.
No parent should have to endure what Katie and John have been through. They have shown remarkable bravery in pursuing change following their daughter's tragic death. We welcome the DfE's additional funding for more frequent inspections, including thousands more without notice visits. We're also strengthening our inspection practice so that safe sleeping in nurseries and with childminders is now a mandatory part of every inspection and will be reported on for parents to read.
Key Facts
- Genevieve Meehan died in May 2022 after being left against a beanbag for an hour and 37 minutes at a Stockport nursery.
- From September 2026, English nurseries must place under-12s to sleep only in cots.
- Ofsted will add roughly 3,000 unannounced inspections a year, backed by £8m in extra government funding.
- Nearly 20,000 serious childcare incidents have been recorded in England over five years, up 40% on the previous five-year period.
- Ministers are still considering whether to make CCTV mandatory in nurseries, with no confirmed decision date.
