Families of paedophile nursery worker’s victims say concerns ‘brushed aside’
In a statement issued by the firm on Sunday, the families said: “What has happened here is not just about one individual or one nursery.“We believe Chan’s crimes raise serious questions about how childcare providers recruit, supervise and safeguard staff, and how warning signs can be overlooked over long periods of time.“In our case, Bright Horizons repeatedly dismissed concerns from parents about Chan’s behaviour, and we believe their consistent culture of brushing concerns aside was key to enabling this catastrophe to happen.The firm added: “They will be seeking full accountability for those failures, initially through the civil courts, and are also urging Camden Council to investigate the case for prosecution of Bright Horizons as a corporate entity.“State institutions must treat this case with the utmost seriousness, act to uncover the full extent of offending, ensure accountability and prevent similar harm in the future.”The 46 families are made up of relatives of the victims of Chan’s sexual abuse and image-based offending, as well as those whose children were mistreated by him in other ways, including when he made videos of children humiliated or in distress.The sex offender admitted 30 new offences at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Thursday relating to 10 girls and six women that did not take place at Bright Horizons.Chan will be sentenced on February 12 for the 56 offences to which he has pleaded guilty.The families taking action say they are “seeking accountability” through claims for breach of contract for Bright Horizons’ safeguarding failures that permitted Chan to commit his crimes, as well as neglect and cruelty, Leigh Day confirmed.Camden Safeguarding Partnership is conducting a local child safeguarding practice review on the nursery, the law firm added.Alison Millar, the head of Leigh Day’s abuse team, said: “Families understandably are extremely concerned that a perpetrator was able to work at the nursery for so many years and misuse nursery devices to facilitate his offending.“They are concerned about apparent lack of knowledge and understanding of safeguarding by managers and staff and a failure by the nursery to implement effective safeguarding policies, procedures and practices, including digital safeguarding.“They will be seeking full accountability for those failures, initially through the civil courts, but also are looking to Camden Council to investigate the case for prosecution of Bright Horizons as a corporate entity.“This case has to be treated with the utmost seriousness by state institutions to ensure that similar offending can never be allowed to happen again.”A spokesman for Bright Horizon previously said: “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.”The provider said it welcomes and encourages parent feedback and takes parent concerns seriously.The families of 700 children who attended the nursery during the time Chan worked there between 2017 and 2024 have been contacted and are receiving specialist support.apA dedicated NSPCC helpline has been set up for anyone affected by Chan’s offending, on 0800 028 0828, which operates from 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 9am-6pm on weekends.Anyone who wants to make a report to police about Chan can contact OpLanark@met.police.uk, or call 101 from within the UK, quoting the reference CAD3697/1DEC.Chan, of Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, north London, remains in custody ahead of sentencing.Bright Horizons and Camden Council have been contacted for comment.
