Liberal Democrats support Maya’s Law County Durham campaign

Munira Wilson MP, the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson for Education, Children and Families, voiced support for the campaign launched by Maya’s relatives following the death of the two-year-old from Shotton Colliery.

Maya died in September 2022 after being violently shaken by her mother’s partner, Michael Daymond, who was later jailed for life for murder.

Maya Chappell (Image: FAMILY)

Her mother, Dana Carr, was sentenced to nine years in prison for allowing her daughter’s death.

Since then, Maya’s family and The Northern Echo have campaigned for stronger safeguarding laws through a proposed Child Risk Disclosure Scheme (CRDS), known as Maya’s Law, which would require agencies to share information about potential risks to children.

Ms Wilson paid tribute to Maya’s family for their efforts to secure reform.

She said: “First and foremost, I want to pay tribute to Maya Chapell’s family for channelling their unimaginable grief into this vital campaign. The heartbreaking murder of their two-year-old was a devastating failure of our safeguarding system.

Munira Wilson during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons (Image: House of Commons/PA Wire)

“Maya’s Law would work to fix the weaknesses that exist in current safeguarding protections. Families deserve to have absolute confidence in their children’s welfare.

“The government needs to work constructively with Maya’s family and safeguarding experts to enact these proposals to ensure that what happened to Maya can never happen again.”

The comments come after Maya’s great-aunts, Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls, vowed to continue their campaign for a standalone Maya’s Law after ministers indicated that some of the proposed reforms could be incorporated into the Government’s wider Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The family argues that dedicated legislation would strengthen accountability and ensure safeguarding measures are not diluted within broader reforms.

Maya’s great aunts, Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls (Image: FAMILY)

Their campaign has attracted more than 100,000 signatures and prompted a Westminster Hall debate earlier this year, where MPs from across the political spectrum backed calls for stronger child protection measures.

While ministers have pointed to wider safeguarding reforms already being introduced, Maya’s family says it will continue pressing for a specific law in Maya’s name.

And Gemma now believes that, regardless of politics and who is in power in Parliament, child protection “should be a top priority for any Government”.

“We’ve called on the Prime Minister many times for a sit-down meeting, and he still has a duty to make the big decisions,” she said.

Maya and her great aunt, Gemma Chappell (Image: FAMILY)

“Regardless of whether Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting or another political party is in power, we’ll face this the same. More children will die if the policies stay the same.

“We’ve been told time and time again that changes are made, but we believe that until Maya’s Law is taken in full, and not diluted down, children won’t truly be safe.”

Gemma has now called on the Government to “admit” that its new Schools and Wellbeing Bill doesn’t do enough to protect children.

Despite taking the Maya’s Law campaign to Parliament and reaching 100,000 signatures on a petition, Gemma is still liaising with the Government, councils, emergency services and other bereaved families across the UK to make the safeguarding changes.

Maya Chappell (Image: FAMILY)

She has also been helped recently by Luke Akehurst, MP for North Durham, who has promised to raise the issue again in Parliament.

Alongside working with agencies and politicians, Gemma and Rachael are planning to hold a virtual Mount Everest walk later this year and encourage the community to take part.

As part of the fundraising challenge, people will walk on the spot, run or do pull-ups and push-ups collectively across 12 hours.

The money raised will then go towards Newcastle RVI, which looked after little Maya in hospital before she died in September 2022.

Maya (Image: FAMILY)

It’s hoped that the charity money will pay for bereavement boxes for families who have lost young children at the hospital, which will contain handprints and a blanket, with Gemma saying this item was a “vital part” of the grieving process.

Later this month, Gemma and Rachael, as well as other members of the Maya’s Law team, will be attending a Stacey’s Sensory Cutting Club CIC fundraiser at St Patrick’s Church Hall in Consett on Saturday, June 27, from 2pm and 5pm.

North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

The fundraiser is to raise funds for the CIC, which provides haircuts in SEND schools and other projects, workshops for parents, products to children who benefit from them and everything else that surrounds hair and the sensitivities that come with it.

Gemma and Rachael will also be attending the Child Poverty Summit on July 9 after they were invited by North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness.

The event will bring together leaders, charities, professionals and campaigners to discuss the challenges facing children and families across the region, including poverty, inequality and access to support.

Gemma said: “If we truly want to keep children safe, we must understand the wider issues affecting their lives. Poverty automatically places a child at risk of abuse or neglect, but it can create additional pressures for the families and services that should never be ignored.

“Whether we are talking about poverty, domestic abuse, exploitation, neglect, additional needs or barriers to accessing support, the question is always the same: How do we prevent the children from falling through the gaps?

Maya’s Law is about creating a future where systems work together to identify risks early, support families where they need help, and ensure no child becomes invisible.”