Date fixed for 'Maya's Law' debate in Parliament
The family of a County Durham toddler's been campaigning for better safeguarding
Last updated 10 hours ago
The family of a County Durham toddler who was shaken to death say they're grateful for everyone who's supported their campaign as a date's now been set for a Parliamentary debate.
Two year-old Maya Chappell died in 2022 by her mum's partner at the time.
Since then, her family's been campaigning for 'Maya's Law' calling for a new disclosure and safeguarding mechanism for at-risk children.
Their petition hit 100,000 signatures earlier this year meaning there would be a debate.
On Monday 13th April at 6pm, MPs are going to discuss safeguarding systems and how information can be shared earlier to better protect children.
Gemma Chappell, Maya's great aunt, said: "It’s going to be a busy month but we will finally have our day in Parliament. We still have a long way to go and a mountain to climb but I’m over the moon.
"We were delighted to get told about the debate date and time, and it was also good to see that they already shared the links so that others could watch and listen to the debate, we look forward to going to Westminster to hear the debate and hope that MPs and ministers attend this debate which is important for child safeguarding, lived experience people who have gone through such trauma should be listened to.
"Maya’s Law is about making sure the right people know when a child could be at risk.
"Right now we have laws like Sarah’s Law and Clare’s Law, which allow people to ask if someone has a history of sexual or domestic abuse.
"But there are still situations where agencies hold serious safeguarding information about someone around a child, and the protective parent may never be told.
"Maya’s Law asks for a clear duty for safeguarding agencies to share that information when it could protect a child, and also act in the information provided.
"It’s about making sure warning signs don’t stay hidden in separate systems until it’s too late.
"Success from the debate would be Parliament recognising that safeguarding systems must continue to evolve and improve.
"If the debate leads to further work examining gaps in information sharing and how children can be better protected, that would be an important step forward.
"The goal of Maya’s Law is to ensure that lessons from tragedy lead to meaningful improvements in child protection.
"We would also be grateful if Sir Kier Starmer does show up for the debate we know he is a very busy person however if he can take that time out to be there it shows that those in power at the highest levels are listening to what’s important here - child safety.
"Maya’s death changed our lives forever.
"But this campaign is not just about Maya. It is about making sure the systems designed to protect children are as strong as they can be.
"If raising awareness and working with Parliament helps prevent even one child from experiencing what Maya did, then that work matters."
On a Facebook post, the family say: "Maya’s Law asks an important question:
"If information exists that could protect a child, how do we ensure it is shared early enough to prevent harm?
"This campaign is about learning from tragedy and working towards stronger safeguarding systems so that warning signs are recognised sooner."
Back in January, when the petition hit 10,000 signatures, the Government issued a written response to the petition, saying: "We are delivering significant reform across children’s social care, policing and the family court system to better safeguard children and stop them falling through the cracks of services.
"Keeping children safe is a priority for this government, and this is why we are delivering the most significant overhaul of children’s social care in a generation. We deeply sympathise with calls to more effectively safeguard children and we recognise that fostering a culture of proactive information sharing amongst safeguarding professionals is critical to the early identification of need and risk, hence the facilitation of better support provision to prevent escalation.
"Through our landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we have set out to improve multi-agency information sharing, introduce a responsive family help system, and sharpen the child protection system. These reforms, taken together, are intended to better safeguard children, and stop them from falling through the cracks.
"It is only when safeguarding partners have a fuller understanding of a child that they can effectively assess risk and take the most appropriate action. Rightly, the proposed Child Risk Disclosure Scheme highlights the importance of empowering and encouraging safeguarding practitioners to proactively share information relevant to a safeguarding concern, including where information relates to a risk posed by another person in a child’s life. Whilst the Government is not minded to introduce the elements of a Child Risk Disclosure Scheme requiring police to disclose information to parents and guardians, proposals to strengthen multi agency responses and earlier safeguarding help are already included in the package of reforms we are taking forward.
"We are introducing a new Information Sharing Duty as set out in clause 4 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. By legally obliging statutory safeguarding partners to share information across agencies where there is a concern relevant to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, we are ending misconceptions about when information can and cannot be shared. Crucially, this extends to the sharing of information about other individuals for the same purpose, enabling practitioners to act and inform families as appropriate.
"We are also exploring means of reducing friction in sharing information across agencies through technological improvements. This includes delivering on our manifesto commitment to introduce a consistent identifier for children, to allow data to be shared more efficiently and accurately by linking records together to improve join-up across services.
"Once needs are identified, our wider reforms will ensure children and families receive the appropriate support. Through the Families First Partnership Programme, we are committed to delivering the national rollout of Family Help – a new model of responsive early support that places children and families at the centre of its design, intended to prevent problems from escalating.
"Where need does escalate, or concerns are of a greater gravity, we are sharpening the child protection system and ensuring strong multi-agency protocols on a local level through the introduction of Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams. These will bring experts together across agencies to better identify cases where children are suffering, or are at risk of suffering, significant harm. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill places a duty on safeguarding partners to implement this on a local level, alongside measures to strengthen the role of education and childcare settings in safeguarding arrangements.
"Alongside reforms to children’s social care and in recognition of the impact domestic abuse has on children, we introduced Operation Encompass in November 2025. This is a statutory duty that requires police to notify a child’s education setting where they have attended a domestic abuse incident in a child’s home, regardless of if they were present.
"Regarding multi-agency protocols where child contact and custody are being considered, we affirm that the welfare of children is the paramount concern in family court proceedings. Established risk assessments and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements are already in place and we are taking a step further by delivering a package of reforms to the family court to enhance safeguarding of, and support for children. This includes our decision to repeal the presumption of parental involvement from the Children Act 1989, and our work to expand the private law Pathfinder model, which promotes safeguarding through multi-agency collaboration, early identification of risk and expert support in cases involving domestic abuse.
"Through these reforms, we hope to bring about fundamental change – to lay the foundations for a system that is responsive, champions professional curiosity, keeps children safe and helps families thrive. We will continue to consider where we can go further to strengthen safeguarding arrangements and encourage good practice on a local level, either through future legislation or the implementation of these measures."