New regulations coming into effect in September will ban childcare settings in England from putting babies under 12 months to sleep in anything other than a cot. This move is a direct result of a campaign led by Katie and John Meehan, whose nine-month-old daughter, Genevieve, suffocated in May 2022 after being strapped face down to a beanbag at a nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport.
Genevieve's parents, working with the Lullaby Trust, have advocated for stronger safety and regulation in nurseries. Katie Meehan expressed shock at the extent of unsafe sleeping practices revealed by nurseries privately responding to the planned changes, with some reporting leaving babies in pushchairs due to space limitations or adopting outdoor sleeping practices.
Ofsted, the regulator, will increase unannounced inspections by 3,000 visits annually, funded by an additional £8m from the government. Nurseries will now be inspected every four years instead of six, with each visit specifically scrutinising sleeping policies. The Department for Education stated that while settings are legally required to follow NHS safer sleep guidance, the new rules aim to make expectations unambiguous.
Ministers are also considering making CCTV mandatory in all English nurseries, a key objective of the Meehans' campaign. Katie Meehan hopes Prime Minister Andy Burnham will advance these reforms, noting his previous support for mandatory CCTV.