Fighting for Change After the Tragic Loss of Baby Genevieve
Fighting for Change After the Tragic Loss of Baby Genevieve
by Tom Morrison MP
Earlier this year, I became a dad for the first time. Like all new parents, I have felt that overwhelming mix of love, pride and deep responsibility. It is a love that is hard to put into words, and it is why the heartbreaking story of Genevieve Meehan has touched me so deeply.
In May 2022, Genevieve – known as Gigi to her family – tragically lost her life at just nine months old while at Tiny Toes Children’s Day Nursery in Cheadle Hulme. Her parents, Katie and John, did everything right. They checked the nursery’s credentials, they asked all the right questions, and they thought their daughter would be safe.
But Gigi was failed in the most unimaginable way. The details of what happened to her are harrowing. No parent should ever have to endure what Katie and John have been through. And yet, in their grief, they have shown incredible strength and purpose.
They have launched a campaign – Gigi’s Campaign – to push for three common-sense changes in law: mandatory CCTV in all nurseries, unannounced Ofsted inspections, and compulsory safe sleep training for all early years staff.
As the local MP, I have been proud to support them from the start. I have submitted an Parliamenty Motion calling for these vital reforms, and I am so moved that 30 MPs have already added their names.
This is not about politics. It is about doing the right thing, and making sure that what happened to Gigi can never happen again.
In the coming weeks, I will be joining Katie and John, along with the Lullaby Trust, in a meeting with the Minister for Early Years to press for change. I will not stop until their voices are heard and the law is strengthened.
Katie and John should never have had to become campaigners. But they are, and they are doing it with dignity, compassion and an unshakeable determination to protect other children in Gigi’s name.
She deserved so much more. We owe it to her, and to all children, to make nurseries as safe as they possibly can be.
You can read more about the case here.