County Durham family heading to Parliament for 'Maya's Law' debate
A North East MP is raising awareness about the Maya's Law campaign
A North East MP is leading a debate at Westminster Hall in Parliament today to raise awareness about Maya's Law.
Two year-old Maya Chappell from County Durham was killed three years ago.
Her family's been campaigning for a new disclosure and safeguarding system to protect at-risk children.
Maya's great-aunt, Gemma Chappell, said: "We've got a little bit of anxiety as a family around it but also we're excited that we've got this far, we've got Liz Twist MP for Blaydon and Consett going down to Westminster to say 'this is Maya's Law', 'this is the campaign', 'this is who Maya is', and 'this is what they're proposing', so that's massively important to us as a family and massively important to Maya and also these other children and other families.
"We need to raise awareness fully and we need to raise awareness in Parliament and whilst we've got the backing of some MPs, and some local councillors in Durham, we need backing from all the MPs and if Jess Phillips Minister for Safeguarding would sit down with us and have a conversation with us as a family around this campaign, that would be amazing off the back of this.
"We might get a different minister that sits with us on the back of it but if we get Jess Phillips to sit with us, that would be the one that we need isn't it? We're wanting both the discussion around, raising the awareness, backing of more MPs, backing of more councils, because this doesn't just happen in Durham, it's happened in other places.
"MPs are the ones that are in power that can raise this further than what I can raise it with the right people, so that's where we need it to be with the MPs, with the councillors, with people in power, such as your Police and Crime Commissioners, not just Joy Allen who supports us, but also your PCCs in the other forces as well.
"This happens in other counties as well, it doesn't just happen in Durham, so having the backing of MPs has been brilliant for us in the sense that they're the people that are going to raise this awareness in Parliament for us. They're our voice, we're the voice for children, they're our voice to get this through the door."
Find out more about Maya's Law on the official website.