Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls, the great-aunts of two-year-old Maya Chappell, delivered a safeguarding session at Gateshead Civic Centre last week as part of their ongoing campaign for Maya’s Law.
The session, entitled Listening Without Words: Recognising the Silent Signs of Child Abuse, brought together safeguarding professionals to explore how warning signs can be identified earlier and how agencies can better protect children who are unable to speak for themselves.
It marks another significant development for the campaign, which has already attracted more than 100,000 signatures and been debated in Parliament twice.
Rachael Walls (left), Emily Thompson, Learning and Development Officer at Gateshead Council (centre) and Gemma Chappell (right) (Image: GEMMA CHAPPELL)
Maya was just two years old when she was murdered by her mother’s partner, Michael Daymond, at her home in Shotton Colliery in September 2022.
Daymond was subsequently jailed for life, with a minimum term of 20 years, while Maya’s mother, Dana Carr, received a nine-year prison sentence for allowing her daughter’s death.
Since then, her family have fought for changes to safeguarding legislation, arguing that failures in information-sharing and missed opportunities to intervene can leave vulnerable children exposed to serious harm.
Gemma said it had been an “incredibly positive and meaningful day” for the campaign.
She said: “What made the training particularly special wasn’t just the opportunity to share Maya’s story and the learning behind it, but the conversations, discussions and questions that followed.”
The session, held on November 5, formed part of Gateshead Safeguarding Partnership’s Safeguarding Month programme, which invited Maya’s family to share their experiences and encourage professionals to reflect on the decisions they make when concerns about a child’s welfare arise.
Gemma said she hoped the training would encourage those attending to challenge assumptions and continue discussions with colleagues.
She said: “Sometimes, that one additional question could make all the difference to a child’s safety.
“For us, this is what Maya’s Law is about. Not just raising awareness, but turning awareness into action, conversations into learning and learning into better protection for children.
“Maya may no longer have her voice, but through this work, her story continues to speak for children who cannot speak for themselves.”
The latest development comes after months of campaigning by Maya’s family, supported by The Northern Echo, to close what they believe are dangerous gaps in the child protection system.
The proposed Maya’s Law would introduce a Child Risk Disclosure Scheme, inspired by Clare’s Law and Sarah’s Law, alongside stronger information-sharing arrangements between police, councils, health services and other safeguarding agencies.
The family also want professionals to have clearer powers to raise concerns and trigger earlier intervention when a child may be at risk.
A safeguarding review into Maya’s death identified missed opportunities to provide support, although it also found there was no clear evidence that her death could have been prevented.
The review highlighted the importance of greater professional curiosity and effective communication between agencies.
The campaign has also received recognition for its work after being presented with a Red Kite Award, following a nomination by Blaydon and Consett MP Liz Twist, in recognition of the family’s tireless efforts to improve child safeguarding and raise awareness of the need for stronger protections for vulnerable children.
A slide from the Maya’s Law presentation (Image: GEMMA CHAPPELL)
Meanwhile, Gemma has also spoken out following concerns about the repeated postponement of a meeting intended to scrutinise Durham Constabulary’s child protection inspection findings.
A meeting of the Durham Police and Crime Panel, scheduled for November 2, was postponed for a second time after insufficient members attended for proceedings to go ahead.
The panel had been due to question Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen about the force’s response to an inspection published in May.
The inspection found Durham Constabulary was performing well in responding to children at risk and working with safeguarding partners, but concluded that improvements were needed in its investigations.
Following the postponement, Gemma said the campaign had received messages from concerned members of the public and had already contacted people in positions of responsibility to seek further understanding.
She stressed that Maya’s Law would remain focused on protecting children rather than becoming involved in political disagreements.
Gemma said: “Safeguarding should never become a political battleground. It is a shared responsibility that requires accountability, transparency and a commitment to making improvements where they are needed.”
Durham Constabulary has previously said it accepted the areas for improvement identified by inspectors and had begun introducing measures to strengthen its investigations.
Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen has also acknowledged the need for further improvements and committed to holding the force to account.
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