Sean Gould
Maya’s Law has passed its second reading with a 110,000+ signature petition, following the murder of two-year-old Maya Chappell.
After baby Maya was fatally murdered at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend, Maya’s Law was brought forward to address the serious gaps in children protection across the UK.
The campaign called for a ‘child risk disclosure scheme’ that would allow authorities to disclose an adults violent history to help parents or guardians better protect their children.
Maya’s great aunts, Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls, have championed the proposed law since her death, aiming to grant authorities the power to act upon alarming information and listen to “trusted adults” voices in a child’s family circle.
The second reading of Maya’s Law
The Bill reached a second reading on 13th April 2026, led by Sunderland Central Labour MP Lewis Atkinson on the behalf of Maya’s family.
During the debate, Atkinson raised questions to why the passage of the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill had halted, and said that it was “time to move from expressions of sympathy to action”.
Government ministers assured that many of the propositions within Maya’s Law were being included in reforms they were already planning, with Children’s Minister, Josh MacAlister, claiming that strengthening child protection was its “absolute priority”.
The new reforms are said to include “stronger multi-agency child protection teams” and “better information-sharing between police, education, health and social workers, so that no child falls through the cracks again”.
Yet Gemma Chappel disputed: “I think the sharing of information is only part of the solution, it’s about what happens next to protect that child”.
Gemma’s nephew James, Maya’s father, had repeatedly relayed concerns regarding his daughter’s welfare to authorities in the lead up to her death.
Maya’s mother, Dana Carr, and her boyfriend, Michael Daymond, had been together for only nine weeks. Despite multiple relatives raising concerns regarding an unusual number of bruises on Maya in the weeks before her death, no effective action was taken.
Warning signs before Maya’s death
James had attempted contacting the police to inquire into Daymond’s background, and following Maya’s death, Daymond’s history with drug use, owed money and gendered abuse towards other women surfaced.
When Maya was flown into Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, doctors immediately spotted a concerning number of bruises across her body. She died two days later without regaining consciousness, with the main cause of death resulting from an “inflicted head injury”.
How Maya’s Law was introduced to Parliament
A month after Maya’s death on Tuesday 14 October 2025, Maya’s Law was raised in parliament by MP Liz Twist.
During the debate, Josh MacAlister said: “We need fundamental change – which we are delivering, I believe, now, through the most significant overhaul of children’s social care in a generation – backed by legislative change and over £2bn of investment in this spending review period.
“Through these reforms, we are laying the foundation for much better information sharing, introducing a responsive family help system, and thirdly significantly sharpening up our children protection arrangements.”
MacAlister commended Maya’s great aunts for their “tireless campaigning” and described Maya’s death as a tragedy.
After the second reading, Gemma relayed: “What the MPs said, and what the minister said, was a massive step for us and they didn’t say never.”
The next steps for Maya’s Law
Despite the ambiguity surrounding the progression of The Child Risk Disclosure and Safeguarding Bill, Maya’s family announced that they will never cease campaigning.
Gemma said: “It’s not just about Maya, it’s about all the other children that have gone through this, and the children that are going through it now.
“It’s important to give not just Maya a voice, but for Maya’s voice to be the voice of the children that have gone through it, but the voice of the children that are going through it now.”
FAQ’s
What is Maya’s Law?
Maya’s Law is a proposed child risk disclosure scheme that would allow authorities to disclose information about an adult’s violent history to help protect children from harm.
Why was Maya’s Law introduced?
The campaign was launched following the death of two-year-old Maya Chappell and concerns that warning signs raised by family members were not acted upon effectively.
Who is campaigning for Maya’s Law?
Maya’s great aunts, Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls, have led the campaign and continue to push for stronger child protection measures.
What happened during the second reading of Maya’s Law?
MPs debated the proposed legislation in Parliament, with ministers outlining planned child protection reforms and campaigners continuing to call for further action.
The circumstances that have prompted the introduction of Maya’s Law are areas Westgate Chambers’ experienced family law team specialise in. If you are involved in a child welfare or safeguarding case and would like to discuss it with one of our family barristers, please contact our clerks today.
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