Aberdeen nursery fined after baby burned with boiling bleach

An Aberdeen nursery has been fined after a baby boy was burned by boiling water which contained bleach.

The child – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was injured at the Little Dreams Nursery in the city’s Bon Accord Street in 2021.

His family previously won a civil action securing a five figure settlement.

On Monday, the nursery admitted breaching health and safety regulations at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and was fined £7,500, with an additional £350 Victim Surcharge.

‘Horrific screams’

The mother of the child arrived at the Little Dreams Nursery in November 2021 to the “most horrific screaming” from the ten-month-old after he toppled an unattended cleaning bucket while trying to stand up.

She said staff, managed by Nicola Park, then made his injuries worse by covering them in paper towels which then tore off blisters when removed and failed to call 999 right away.

Park since received a 36-month warning from the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) following an investigation.

The SSSC’s decision came after a hearing which was given evidence of the incident.

The watchdog found that after the child was burned by the boiling bleach, Park “failed to call an ambulance” for him.

Care investigators upheld multiple complaints against the nursery, with senior staff being subsequently reprimanded.

The family previously received a five-figure compensation payout.

‘Indefensible’

In a statement released via law firm Digby Brown, the family said: “We’ve had to wait five years for Little Dreams Nursery to admit what happened to our son was their fault but we don’t feel severity of his injuries have been acknowledged.

“We trusted them to take care of him and for such an injury to happen to a 10-month-old baby is indefensible.

“It was made worse by the nursery’s failure to properly treat his injuries and get him the help he needed.

“In the months and years that followed we had to watch our boy deal with the consequences of something that was never his fault.

“No parent should have to experience that, but we are thankful what happened hasn’t had a more serious or longer lasting impact.

“Today we close the most horrific chapter of our lives and we want to thank everyone who has supported us during this time and now request our privacy as we move forward.”

A statement from Little Dreams nursery read: “The safety, wellbeing and care of every child entrusted to us is our highest priority. We deeply regret that this incident was able to occur and are profoundly sorry for the distress and impact it has had on the child and their family.

“We accepted responsibility for the failing identified and pled guilty as soon as we were able. Out of respect for the child and their family, we will not comment on the specific circumstances of the case beyond what was heard in court.

“We recognise the trust that families place in us every day and remain fully committed to learning from this incident and maintaining the highest standards of care and safety.”