Andy Burnham on what Greater Manchester can expect as Campaign for Gigi gathers pace
The campaign is seeking urgent improved safety measures for nurseries and early years settings
Andy Burnham attended the parliamentary drop-in for the Campaign for Gigi(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has spoken in detail about what the region can expect as the Campaign for Gigi took its fight to Downing Street.
Roughley was jailed for 14 years in May 2024 for causing her unlawful death. An inquest into Genevieve’s death has been set for June this year.
Her parents John Meehan and Katie Wheeler have since launched the Campaign for Gigi in a bid to improve safety standards in nursery and early years settings.
They are calling for compulsory CCTV in nursery settings; unannounced Ofsted inspections to be routine in early years settings; clear, statutory safe sleep guidance for early years settings; and mandatory safe sleep training for all nursery staff and Ofsted inspectors.
Genevieve Meehan(Image: Supplied/Katie Wheeler)
The campaign urges people to get in touch with their MP to ask for their support. At a parliamentary drop-in, over 50 cross-party MPs showed their support, and learned about the campaign, Gigi, and its importance. Also in attendance was Mr Burnham.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “I met Katie and John for the first time a couple of months ago and just to sit and listen to what they went through… it is really quite heartbreaking.
“Any parent would put themselves in their situation. It’s unimaginable, what they’ve gone through. But they’re turning that experience into a campaign for change and the calls that they are making are just about making safer settings for every child growing up.
“To me they’re impossible to argue against, so straight away we were saying ‘Greater Manchester will get behind you’. [We’re] already working on a safety in setting action plan with our 10 councils so we’re trying to put into effect.
“So if we can do it in Greater Manchester, maybe that will make a case for the national legislation that the campaign is calling for.”
Asked to elaborate on what our region can expect, Mr Burnham added said: “Its about training and focus on safe sleep and making sure when young people come into the profession, the standard of training is as good as it can possibly be.
The Campaign for Gigi staged a parliamentary drop-in on Monday, January 19(Image: )
“And also CCTV, seeing its part of the continuous improvement of the organisation, using it in that way and learning from things because things will go wrong in any setting. So, not using it as a tool of punishment but an empowerment thing to help with professional development.
“We think the calls being made here are absolutely the right ones. I think parents probably think that early years settings are more regulated than they actually are. And I think they would want there to be a greater consistency of standards across all settings.
“When you put child in nursery you probably make assumptions about things, and this would give a greater peace of mind if they knew there was a basic minimum level that all settings are signed up to.”
Asked about next steps, he said: “The next step for us is to work to get our safety in settings action plan implemented across our 10 districts, work with our nurseries and our providers to buy in and build that continuing improvement approach. We have a focus on early years in Greater Manchester and we have a big drive around school readiness and a drive to give kids, all kids in Greater Manchester, to give them the best and safest start in life.
“But then we can build that evidence base that Katie and John can take to London and put in front of ministers and say ‘look this has been done and its doable’ and that will help them hopefully make the case for national changes.”
Tom Morrison MP, John Meehan and Katie Wheeler outside Number 10 Downing Street(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Addressing the importance of the campaign, Mr Burnham said what happened to Genevieve was ‘every parents worst nightmare’.
“Its unimaginable to think that something like this could happen to your child when their obviously not directly in your care,” he added.
“Everybody want that highest level of peace of mind, and I don’t think there should be any sense of consistency or variation when it comes to the early years. We need to have high standards and do the best we possibly can. We need to prioritise the early years as an area for investment.
“I think its about fixing something that parents would want to know was clear and standardised. I compare it a little bit to Martyn’s Law and Figen Murray’s campaign because I think people would have made assumptions about security levels in venues before Figen brought to everyone’s attention, ‘actually its not that consistent and does need to be strengthened’, and I think there’s a similar call here.
“Sometimes people think the regulations will be tougher and will be surprised to know they are not as strong as they thought, if you fix them, it gives peace of mind to parents everywhere, and everyone is absolutely clear that the minimum standards are in every setting.”