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Parents of children who attended Bright Horizons’ Finchley Road nursery have met Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to demand sweeping reforms to early years safeguarding, warning that current systems leave under-5s dangerously exposed.
One of the parents, who spoke anonymously to LBC, said an independent reporting system for parents and whistleblowers is needed – something they believe could have prevented the crimes committed by former nursery worker Vincent Chan.
“Even if you put in stronger digital policies or CCTV, the core issue was escalation… those responsible for safeguarding did not adequately escalate concerns. There were people who wanted to come forward but had no protected way to do that. Until you fix that, nothing really stops this happening again.”
Chan, 45, was convicted of 56 sexual offences and in February 2026 was jailed for 18 years, with a further eight years on licence. He was barred for life from working with children.
At the meeting with Ms Phillipson, families pressed for what they call a national “Flare” system, an independent reporting and escalation body allowing concerns to be raised outside individual nursery chains.
“At the moment there is no central place parents can go… if something serious has already happened, you can call the police. But there’s nowhere that proactively logs concerns, spots patterns or gathers data across providers.”
Under their proposal, parents and staff would be able to log concerns via an app, with issues triaged green, amber or red. Amber-level safeguarding concerns – such as unexplained repeated injuries – could then be analysed for patterns across multiple settings.
“For the first time regulators would be able to see whether a large provider with hundreds of sites has emerging safeguarding themes. That’s where prevention lies.”
Families are also calling for two-adult supervision rule in larger settings, tougher controls on nursery-owned digital devices, and mandatory CCTV in common areas, which they say would act as both deterrent and protection.
“Without it, you end up in a ‘he said, she said’ situation. From a legal and disciplinary standpoint that makes it incredibly difficult to act.”
Parents described the ministerial response as “highly receptive” but warned that change must move at pace.
“We don’t need another review. We need legislation, pilots and implementation within weeks, not months. If we don’t change anything, we are sustaining what has become an ideal hunting ground for predators.”
They are also seeking clarity over which authorities would prosecute any proven breaches of statutory safeguarding duties and are preparing civil action against Bright Horizons. The families are represented by lawyers at Leigh Day.
In a statement released after the meeting, MP for Hampstead and Highgate Tulip Siddiq said: "Thank you to Bridget Phillipson and Minister Jess Phillips, for today's constructive meeting with families from my constituency who have seen the unthinkable happen in a setting that should have been a safe haven.
"I welcome commitment to reviewing early years safeguarding, especially when it comes to big chains, and the new expert panel to examine the role of CCTV in protecting children.
"While the conversations are moving in the right direction, the urgency of this crisis cannot be overstated. Every day that passes without mandatory CCTV and strengthened oversight is a day where another child remains vulnerable.
"We cannot wait for the next tragedy to prove what we already know: that transparency is a fundamental necessity for child protection. I am calling for a statutory commitment to mandate cameras in all nursery settings to ensure no more families endure the pain of the unknown.
"I look forward to working with the Education Secretary in the coming weeks to turn these discussions into concrete changes."
A spokesperson for Bright Horizons previously issued the following statement: "First and foremost, our thoughts remain with the children and families affected. What happened at our former Finchley Road nursery was an appalling breach of trust by one individual and not representative of the thousands of experienced and dedicated staff who work tirelessly each day to look after the children in our care. The safety and wellbeing of children entrusted to our care is our highest priority. We are committed to learning any lessons that can be taken from this terrible case.
"We fully support the Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) and hope that it will be beneficial for families, for us as a provider and for the Early Years industry as a whole. It would be premature to comment on any matters relating to our former nursery whilst the CSPR’s process is ongoing. Parents are invited to contribute to this review and we would encourage them to participate so that information can be obtained and considered.
"In relation to child injuries, we have policies and procedures in place to ensure they are documented and information is shared with parents. If this process was not consistently implemented by the Nursery Management Team at our former nursery this is contrary to our requirements. Equally, it is entirely unacceptable for staff to shout at children and we do not condone this.
"As a provider, we welcome and encourage parent feedback and take parent concerns seriously. We have a number of ways to support concerns being raised, including a separate complaints team. If a parent raises a concern at nursery level and they are not happy with how it has been resolved, we encourage them to escalate in accordance with our complaints procedure. When parents do escalate concerns we are grateful for their time and feedback and seek to work with them to investigate the complaint and resolve it whenever we can."