The parents of the victims of paedophile nursery worker Vincent Chan have reacted with fury to the news that he was cleared to return to work after \u201csignificant concerns\u201d were raised by the parent of a young girl.<\/p>\n
As first revealed in the Guardian<\/a>, Chan was reported to his employer, the nursery chain Bright Horizons, by a concerned parent in 2021.<\/p>\n After being investigated by Bright Horizons, with the knowledge of Camden council, Chan was cleared to return to work at the nursery on the Finchley Road in north-west London<\/a>. A year later, in 2022, Chan filmed himself abusing three-year-old girls in his care.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel a level of anger that I can barely put into words,\u201d said one mother. Images of her daughter were found on Chan\u2019s personal devices after his arrest.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cIn 2021, around the time serious concerns had been raised about Vincent Chan, he was made my daughter\u2019s key worker. We trusted him with her most intimate care, believing she was safe.<\/p>\n \u201cKnowing there was a chance to stop him before he had such extensive access to her is unbearable. I am heartbroken, but above all furious at Bright Horizons for failing to protect our children.\u201d<\/p>\n The families have called for an immediate \u201cindependent examination\u201d of how the 2021 complaint was handled.<\/p>\n In a statement issued by the law firm Leigh Day, which is representing 50 families affected by Chan\u2019s abuse, they called for a \u201cfull and independent account of what happened, who knew what, when they knew it and why these decisions were made\u201d.<\/p>\n The parents of Chan\u2019s victims have been promised answers in the form of a repeatedly delayed safeguarding review, led by an independent reviewer appointed by Camden council. But many expressed fury that they only learned the review had been pushed back to 2027 in the Guardian article.<\/p>\n \u201cExpressions of regret are meaningless,\u201d said the parents in a statement. \u201cFamilies deserve the truth about what happened, accountability for the decisions that were made, and action to make sure this cannot happen again. We cannot wait until 2027 for answers.\u201d<\/p>\n Get in touch<\/p>\n Contact our investigations team<\/p>\n The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods:<\/p>\n Secure Messaging in the Guardian app<\/p>\n The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS<\/a>\/Android<\/a>) and go to the menu. Select \u2018Secure Messaging\u2019. <\/p>\n SecureDropIf you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform.<\/a><\/p>\n