Keeping Everyone Safe

In light of the recent case reported in the news, we want to reassure families that we are taking this matter extremely seriously.

Please find below details of our practices and what we are doing to ensure we are keeping everyone safe.

If you would like to get in touch, please use the links provided at the end of this page.

Bright Horizons Ongoing Commitment to Transparency

What happened at our former Finchley Road Nursery in North London was an appalling breach of trust by one individual and we acknowledge how devastating this is for the families affected. We are fully committed to taking learning from this case.

We know this case has understandably raised many questions among families and in the media. While we may not have every answer right now, we’ve shared information relating to the most common questions to provide clarity and reassurance where we can.

What We Are Doing to Ensure We Are Keeping Children Safe

In light of this case, we have taken positive action to ensure our safeguarding practices are robustly and consistently embedded in all of our nurseries.

Since we first became aware of the charges, we have taken prompt action which includes:

Highlighting our Focus on Safeguarding With Our Nursery Teams

• We created a dedicated senior team to lead on our organisational approach and reinforce how our policies and procedures are fully embedded in our nurseries and culture. 
• Our senior leaders are ensuring nursery teams are embedding our safeguarding practices effectively during their leadership visits.
• We have brought forward the timing of many of our internal safeguarding audits so that our colleagues have reassurance that they are implementing procedures correctly.
• As part of our ongoing personal development, we have also brought forward our regular refresher training on safeguarding practices. 

Reinforcing our Culture of Accountability and Escalation of Concerns

• Whilst this individual’s actions came to light after a colleague raised concerns and followed our internal whistle-blowing procedures to escalate which led to the Police investigation, we are heightening awareness of ways to escalate concerns to give colleagues increased confidence to raise these quickly and confidentially through a personal accountability campaign, ‘If you Sense Something, Say Something’.

Ensuring Best Practice

• We’ve engaged an independent external safeguarding expert to provide a further level of review and scrutiny to ensure, as an organisation, we meet the most robust standards.

Our Commitment to Families

We have and will continue to co-operate fully and transparently with the Police investigation. We also understand this case will be the subject of a Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR), and we are committed to supporting this, ensuring the lessons can be taken across the sector.  Once the full facts are known, we will act swiftly and rigorously to ensure lessons are learned from this terrible incident.

How Are Digital Devices Used Within Our Nurseries?

iPads:

Ipads have been used for several years as part of our communications strategy with parents to share updates of their children during the day through our Famly app. Unacceptably, this individual was able to misuse our iPads.

Whilst the specific detail of how this was done is not yet known to us, we do know that the individual was extremely proficient in the use of technology. This is not a skill set that all our colleagues have (or are required to have) but in light of this incident we are committed to educating them further on the use (and misuse) of technology and the importance of complying with our internal use requirements. To allow us to do this effectively, we are conducting a full review of the use and security of iPads in our nurseries. 

Phones and Smart Watches:

We require colleagues to ‘check in’ their mobile phones and smart watches before entering nursery rooms. Colleagues are allowed to use their devices during their breaks in staff areas but no phones or smart watches are allowed in children’s rooms.

CCTV:

We understand that CCTV is something parents often ask about, and we review this regularly. While cameras can offer reassurance, they also raise important concerns around children’s privacy, dignity, and even security risks like hacking. Many families feel strongly both for and against them, and there’s no simple solution.

Our focus remains on having attentive, well-trained colleagues present with the children, as this is the most effective way to keep them safe. We’ll continue listening to parents to make sure we’re doing what’s best for children. In light of this case, we continue to review and reevaluate.

Bright Horizons Safeguarding Practices

We recognise that safeguarding begins from the moment a candidate indicates an interest in working for us. As such, we have robust Safer Recruitment procedures which comply with relevant regulations.

If we are satisfied that the candidate is suitable to join our team, we then have a robust induction and training process to ensure colleagues have the knowledge and skills required to perform their role.

Thereafter, we have procedures which ensure ongoing safer employment, which are designed to make sure colleagues continue to meet our required standards and keep up to date on relevant changes and developments to our internal policies and procedures.

Further relevant information is below:

Our Recruitment Processes - Keeping Everyone Safe

• Safety is at the heart of what we do. Our colleagues are well trained and often have decades of experience.
• Every candidate goes through a two-stage interview, including an in-person supervised assessment in the nursery to check their experience, values, and suitability for working with children.
• Comprehensive background checks include enhanced DBS checks, overseas criminal checks where needed, and verifications of references from previous employers are also completed.
• We review any gaps in employment history, confirm qualifications, and complete health questionnaires to ensure candidates can provide safe, high-quality care.
• Our dedicated onboarding team follows strict safeguarding standards, and ensures colleagues are safe and suitable before they start work in our nurseries.

In relation to the individual involved in this incident:

• Their previous references were suitable and did not raise any concerns that would indicate they were unsafe to work with children.
• We ensured that they held a suitable enhanced-DBS and that they had completed a Barred List Check, (this Enhanced DBS check was repeated during the course of their employment in line with best practice).
• There were no gaps in their employment history.

In Nursery

Our nursery colleagues are trained and required to put children’s welfare first. We have procedures that further detail safeguarding and child protection, including:

• How to respond to concerns or suspected abuse
• What to do if a child makes a disclosure
• Procedures for monitoring attendance and unexplained injuries
• Managing allegations and reporting concerns
• Safe colleague deployment and supervision
• Use of mobile phones, cameras, and digital devices
• Welcoming and ID checking visitors

In addition, colleagues receive regular safeguarding training and ongoing support to ensure they are always up to date with best practice.

Each colleague has their own individual training record which includes internal training, any training from the Local Authority and other organisations.

Colleagues are also trained and instructed on:

• Respectful and Safe Relationships All colleagues, parents, contractors, and visitors are expected to follow a code of conduct that ensures respectful, positive interactions with children at all times.
• Working Together We work in partnership with parents, carers, children, and external agencies. We encourage everyone to speak up if they have any concerns, and we respond quickly and appropriately to any issues raised.
• Confidentiality and Information Sharing We handle all information about children and families with care and in line with Data Protection law, sharing details only with those who need to know to keep children safe.
• Regular Review and Improvement Our safeguarding policies are reviewed at least every three years, or sooner if needed, to make sure they remain robust and effective.

If you are a Bright Horizons’ nursery parent and would like to find out more about our Safeguarding policies and procedures, please contact your Nursery Manager to arrange a time to discuss this further.