The Flemish Children’s Agency has suspended the operating licence of a crèche at Sint-Martens-Latem, near Ghent (Fast Flanders) for 3 months after a baby that was in its care was seriously injured following a fall from a loft bed. A carer at the crèche had forget to close the bed’s safety gate correctly. The East Flemish Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the incident but does not think that is was the result of foul play.
Crèche forced to close for 3 months after baby is seriously injured in fall from loft bed
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The Children’s Agency’s (Angentschap Opgroeien) investigation has revealed that this was not the first incident at the crèche. Children have fallen out of loft beds there several times in the past. This was decisive in the decision to temporarily suspend the crèche’s operating licence.
The Children’s Agency says that currently the safety of children cannot be guaranteed at the crèche. By closing the crèche for 3 months it is seeking to prevent further incidents from occurring. In the meantime, the proprietor of the crèche will have time to radically revise their safety procedures.
Email to parents
The proprietors of the crèche sent a mail to the parents of the children they look after assuring them that all loft beds have been removed. They also say that it was them that reported the incident to the relevant authorities.
"This is not the first incident at our crèche, but each time action was taken. It was always the same problem; the safety gate on the bad not being shut”.