Parents of tragic tot Oliver Steeper start petition against proposed new rules for nurseries
05:00, 04 May 2022
updated: 16:03, 04 May 2022
A couple whose baby died after an incident at nursery have condemned proposed relaxation of rules on the ratio of staff to children in care settings.
Little Oliver Steeper was being looked after at Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Kingsnorth when he became unable to breathe while eating and was taken to hospital. He died six days later.
It has been reported that Boris Johnson hopes to slash the cost of childcare by allowing nurseries in England to take in more children without employing extra staff.
But Oliver's parents have now launched a petition opposing the proposed move, which they fear could put children at increased risk.
Oliver's father Lewis Steeper said: "After hearing the Prime Minister’s proposal to relax the legal limits of child to adult ratios in childcare settings, we had to do something to try and stop it happening.
"There are other ways to reduce the cost of living - relaxing the rules will not only put children at risk, but also decrease the quality of care and essential early years education they are receiving.
"Not to mention that adding children to the ratios will mean already over-stretched and underpaid nursery staff are having more responsibility.
"Do this by increasing funding for the sector..."
"This isn’t fair on their mental health and will ultimately lead to staff leaving the workforce, just creating a never-ending cycle."
The proposed relaxation of rules governing childcare is among a number of possible moves the government hopes could help reduce the strain on family budgets amid soaring inflation.
"We're all for reducing the cost of living," Mr Steeper said, "especially in the childcare sector, as a lot of parents struggle to balance costs with working.
"Do this by increasing funding for the sector, not by relaxing rules that are there for the safety and wellbeing of children and staff alike."
The couple's petition, which calls on the government to "not reduce staff-child ratios in early years childcare", has been signed by more than 5,000 people.
If that number reaches 10,000 signatures then the government will respond to the petition, and at 100,000 signatures the petition would have to be considered for debate in Parliament.
A police investigation into the circumstances of Oliver's death remains ongoing.
