Camden Council is facing legal action after families of children abused by a nursery worker claim the authority missed a chance to stop him three years before his arrest. Vincent Chan, 45, was jailed for 18 years in February 2026 for 56 offences, including filming sexual assaults on girls as young as three at the Bright Horizons nursery in West Hampstead.
Council Was Warned in 2021
An investigation by The Guardian in October revealed that Camden Council was aware of a 2021 review into Chan’s behaviour. The internal investigation was triggered after a parent raised "significant concerns" to Bright Horizons about what her daughter had told her about Chan. During the review, which the council had advised and overseen, Chan was placed on duties involving no contact with children. However, he was later cleared to return to his role, and the matter was not referred to the police.
In 2022, Chan filmed himself abusing three-year-old girls at the setting. The Metropolitan Police investigation, Operation Lanark, found he had collected at least 26,000 indecent images of children, including 1,484 in the most severe category. The nursery closed in June 2025.
Families Demand Independent Inquiry
The families, represented by law firm Leigh Day, have urged Camden Council to trigger a health and safety investigation into Bright Horizons. The council has refused, arguing it cannot carry out such an investigation because it is involved in an ongoing safeguarding review. In June, the council received legal notice of a potential judicial review over its "unwillingness" to investigate.
Leigh Day told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "Correspondence is ongoing with the council about the requirement on them as the responsible authority to ensure there is a lawful investigation into whether criminal offences were committed by Bright Horizons as a corporate."
More than 50 affected families issued a statement saying: "We need a full and independent account of what happened, who knew what, when they knew it and why these decisions were made. Expressions of regret are meaningless. Families deserve the truth about what happened, accountability for the decisions that were made, and action to make sure this cannot happen again. We cannot wait until 2027 for answers."
Council's Role Under Scrutiny
Local authorities have statutory oversight over safeguarding in private nurseries, with each council required to appoint a Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) to manage allegations against adults who work with children. The LADO works with police, children’s social care, and employers. The LDRS asked Camden Council when the LADO first received concerns about Chan, but the council did not respond in time for publication.
The case is subject to an ongoing Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (LCSPR), commissioned by the Camden Safeguarding Children Partnership, which includes the council, the NHS, and the Met. The review was expected in summer 2026 but has been pushed back to early 2027. Families have called for a "genuinely independent inquiry", stating: "It feels like asking the people whose decisions are under scrutiny to mark their own homework."
Bright Horizons said in a statement: "We are truly sorry for the lasting impact Vincent Chan’s crimes continue to have on the children and families affected. In line with our safeguarding procedures, we referred a 2021 concern about Chan to the local authority. For the avoidance of doubt, Chan was placed on duties involving no contact with children while the concern was investigated under the local authority’s oversight." The spokesperson added that Bright Horizons had been strengthening safeguarding, including monitoring, expanded training, and rolling out cameras in childcare settings.
