Parents looking
for day care facilities for their children in the Wirral area of Merseyside
would surely be shocked to learn of an alleged incident of neglect that took
place on February 27th 2006 at the Wirral Christian Centre day nursery in Birkenhead called 'Winston's Place Day Nursery.'
A Grandfather who picked up his granddaughter was "disgusted" with the way the seven month old had been treated. Allegedly the child, who had been in the care of the Wirral Christian Centre for the day, had not been changed or given milk at all despite the fact that the nappy's and milk had been provided to the nursery.
The Grandfather, who was understandably upset by the incident, also claimed that his granddaughter "was wet with urine and plastered in faeces".
THE VERY BEST IN CHILD CARE
The Wirral Christian Centre (WCC) looks after children from as young as six weeks old at their Winston's Place Day Nursery. They assert their day nursery is "dedicated to ensuring the very best in child care."
Despite claiming to be possibly the cheapest day nursery in the Wirral area, their website assures would be customers that they provide an environment in which a child can flourish, stating "We offer a warm, friendly, safe and comfortable atmosphere and a team of highly professional, fully experienced, loving and caring staff."
POOR SAFETY
The governments official body for inspecting schools and infant care facilities, Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education), reported the nurseries quality and standard of day care as merely "satisfactory" when the general standard in the area is commonly reported as "good". The report also raised concerns about the fire safety arrangements as well as other health and safety procedures including the safety of the outdoor play area and child protection.
PREVIOUS NEGLECT REPORTED IN SUNDAY TIMES
The alleged incident at the Wirral Christian Centre day nursery disturbingly echoes a Sunday Times article, written by Paul Nuki, in which an undercover reporter working at a Wirral Christian Centre home for the elderly exposed incidents of neglect. The reporter, who worked without checks being made on his bogus reference, observed a series of incidents some of which seemed to border on outright cruelty.
"Immobile residents were left in their rooms for long periods while others suffered from bed sores which staff admitted could have been prevented with proper care. Bedroom doors were frequently propped open and potentially dangerous chemicals, such as bleach, were left on trolleys in corridors, where wires and pipes were exposed. Some residents received only one hot meal a day in the home's sparsely furnished dining room. Others, unable to feed themselves, were given only soup and sandwiches for successive days. Residents were given cruel nicknames by staff." According to the Sunday Times article.
Parents have a great deal of choice when deciding on choosing a nursery to look after their children. However the choice can often be daunting. In the Wirral area alone there are over 60 nurseries. The allegations of poor care given by the Wirral Christian Centre, though serious are by no means isolated to just that one organisation. Other such incidents and worse have been reported throughout the press in recent years, graphically illustrating the need for parents to be very careful in thoroughly checking any nursery or child care facility they entrust their children to.
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LINKS : Child care nursery information for the Wirral area.
UK Day Nursery / Day Nurseries Search
UK Day Nursery & Child Care search by postcode
Yellow Pages search for Wirral Day Nurseries
Local Authority list of nursery care providers
Commission for Social Care Inspection
Office for Standards in Education