[ad_1]
A daycare registration was suspended and the police were called after a staff member allegedly sexually assaulted a child.
Letters were sent to the children’s parents at the Kids Planet nursery, at the corner of Heathfield Road and Woolton Road, Wavertree, last week, indicating that a safeguarding incident had occurred.
The daycare will remain closed until education regulator Ofsted is satisfied that the children will be safe from harm.
Merseyside Police detectives confirmed that a man was arrested after an accusation of sexual assault on a child.
A spokeswoman for the Force said: “The victim, who is known to the suspect, has been safeguarded and they and his family are being supported by specialized officers.”
“A 38-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and has been released on parole.
“Investigations into the allegations are ongoing.”
Ofsted suspended the registration of the nursery for an initial period of six weeks, between March 25 and May 5, while investigations are carried out in conjunction with the police and Liverpool City Council.
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A letter from the regulator of education to parents said: “The purpose of this suspension is to investigate our belief that a child may be exposed to a risk of harm and that steps are taken to eliminate or reduce the risk of harm.”
A statement from Kids Planet, which owns several nurseries in the Northwest, said: “On March 20, Kids Planet Nursery, Wavertree, learned of an allegation that a staff member had behaved inappropriately with a child.
“Following discussion between the nursery and the child’s father, the matter was reported to all relevant protection channels, including the Designated Official of the Local Authority and Ofsted.
“The staff member in question was immediately placed on leave as a matter of procedure pending further investigation.
“It has also been referred to the Merseyside police, who have launched an investigation.
“Kids Planet is a well established and highly regarded daycare that has the strictest protection policies and procedures. The daycare is working closely with its protection partners and will assist the police investigation in any way possible.
“The nursery cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”
The Liverpool Echo sends out newsletters on a wide range of topics, including our daily newsletter, which now goes out three times a day.
There are others on what’s going on, politics, court news, Knowsley, Wirral and art and culture, as well as Liverpool FC and Everton FC.
Signing up is free and it only takes a minute to receive the most important stories, delivered directly to your inbox.
How to sign up for an email update from Echo
1) Go to our dedicated newsletter page at this link.
2) Put your email in the box where indicated
3) Check as many boxes as you want, for each newsletter you want.
4) Press Save changes and voila!
In a letter sent to parents, the daycare suggested that anyone “with specific protection concerns regarding their own child” should contact Merseyside police.
A spokeswoman for Liverpool City Council told ECHO: “We can confirm that we are working together with the Merseyside Police and Ofsted in connection with an investigation into a safeguard allegation at Kids Planet in Wavertree.”
We’ve launched a new Facebook group where you can get the latest in hard-hitting and informative public interest journalism from ECHO’s award-winning team of reporters.
Join the ongoing research and story discussions, share ideas, and let us know what you think we should cover more.
To join the group click here.
You can also follow public interest reporter Jonathan Humphries here.
A statement from Ofsted said: “We have suspended the nursery registration because we have concerns regarding the provider’s ability to keep children safe.
“We are in contact with the relevant agencies and are investigating these concerns to ensure that the well-being of the children is protected. We will periodically review the suspension.”
[ad_2]
