THE family of tragic toddler Joshua Massey-Hodgkinson are set to meet with ministers to ensure a campaign for tighter childminding regulations becomes law.
Emma Massey and Cathy Massey, the 19-month-old's mother and grandmother, will meet Children's Minister Beverley Hughes in Westminster on Tuesday afternoon.
They, along with the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, launched the Justice for Joshua campaign earlier this year following the manslaughter conviction of childminder Wendy Barlow at Preston Crown Court.
Joshua, who lived with his parents in St Paul's Terrace, Clitheroe, died at Barlow's home in Sabden in April, 2004.
The mother-of-three, who, the judge sentencing her was told, had told doctors she had a binge-drinking problem before getting her childminding registration, could not prevent him drowning in her bath in the early hours.
Barlow, formerly from Accrington, is now serving a three-year jail term for his manslaughter.
It has since transpired that Barlow was not registered to look after children at night -- but Joshua's parents were not warned about that or her drinking problem.
The Justice for Joshua campaign has four main aims:
l Better regulation to ban people with serious problems, such as binge drinking, from becoming childminders.
l Better training to put childminders on a level with nursery nurses, rather than just a one or two-day course.
l Better information, making all terms and conditions of registration easily available from Ofsted, the regulatory body, for parents.
l Better knowledge for parents, encouraging them to ask questions about conditions of registration as a result of knowing about Joshua's case.
Hundreds of people backed a petition printed in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, while national bodies including the NSPCC and the National Childminders Association have also given support.
An inquiry into Joshua's death called for better training, and closer inspection of applicants wanting to become childminders.
Prime Minister Tony Blair promised earlier this year the Government would act on the findings of the report once published, and the forthcoming Children's Act is expected to do just that.
Cathy Massey said: "We hope it will be a chance to explain what happened and explain why it is so vital it is never allowed to happen again."
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