'Why we want child abuse nursery held accountable'

A group of parents whose children attended a nursery where abuse was carried out say the council's unwillingness to investigate is "rubbing salt into an open wound".

Last month, Vincent Chan was jailed for 18 years after admitting 56 sexual offences, including abusing children at the Bright Horizons nursery in north-west London.

A letter seen by the BBC, written on behalf of more than 200 parents to Camden Council, says the authority "has little credibility in the eyes of families whose children attended the nursery where astonishing safeguarding failures occurred".

The council said "there would be a conflict of interest if we were to carry out any investigation" under Health and Safety laws.

Warning: This article contains distressing details

Chan filmed himself abusing young children and amassed a collection of at least 26,000 indecent images online, including clips of children being raped. A judge described him as having a "deep-seated sexual obsession" with children.

Andy, whose name we have changed to protect the identity of his children who attended the West Hampstead nursery, said Chan's crimes were "stomach-churning stuff" and that other parents were "all stunned" when they found out.

He said: "It would be a real shame if we get to a point where no agency, no organisation, no area of our government that we pay tax to support and to fund are willing to step up and investigate this. It would be shame on you.

"We're not looking for money out of this investigation. We just want accountability."

The group has urged the government to make CCTV compulsory in nurseries across the UK, something ministers are considering. Earlier this month, the families met Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.

The group of parents' letter states Camden Council appears to be "steadfastly refusing to discharge its statutory obligations and instead peppers its responses with a combination of obfuscation and deliberate improper misdirection".

Andy told BBC London: "This is horrific. It's a terrible, terrible case. It's got national exposure.

"You'd think they'd want to be seen as doing everything they possibly can to deal with this issue.

"To receive this cold legal correspondence from the council, it's like rubbing salt into an open wound."

Of Chan's prison term, he said: "We feel some relief. We feel like justice is being served to him as an individual. He's been given a lengthy sentence.

"Some parents disagree - some think a life sentence would have been more appropriate - but we're also still angry, we're still upset that the corporate Bright Horizons has not been brought into the picture and been investigated."

However, Andy added that many parents still feel that they have been let down by both Bright Horizons and Camden Council.

He added: "For me it's disappointment and sadness and I just worry that if this is happening in a case of this seriousness in central London, with a very - compared to other councils - well-funded council, what's happening elsewhere in the country?"

A Camden Council spokesperson said: "Our priority here will always be supporting those affected by this deeply distressing case.

"Camden Council is taking part in the independent local child safeguarding practice review into this case and, as a consequence, we are clear that there would be a conflict of interest if we were to carry out any investigation.

"This conflict could seriously prejudice any investigation and any subsequent enforcement.

"The independent local child safeguarding review will seek to engage with parents, carers, family members and victims affected by this abuse, and hear from them about their experiences.

"Hearing their voices is a vital part of any effective safeguarding system, and can help to prevent abuse in the future."

In response, Andy described Camden's response as "contradictory".

He said: "This raises a fundamental question: if neither Camden nor the Health and Safety Executive will investigate, who is responsible for holding nursery operators accountable, and why are parents of victims being left to ask that question?

"We remain struck by the contrast between the self-serving public statements of Camden and the lip-service they pay to 'victim support' and child protection in nurseries, and the correspondence we have received, which we perceive to be deliberately evasive, self-contradictory and devoid of any reasoning that could meaningfully withstand scrutiny."

In a statement, Bright Horizons said it was committed to understanding what happened so it could "learn from this terrible episode".

"We fully support the child safeguarding practice review and hope that it will be beneficial for families, for us as a provider and for the early years industry as a whole," the statement said.

"We have brought forward several internal safeguarding audits and refresher trainings to ensure staff are fully aware of their obligations.

"We have also engaged an external expert to carry out a full review of our practices to make sure we meet the most robust standards of safeguarding."

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