Overview

• Andrea Ward, 62, pleaded guilty to three counts of child neglect spanning from February 2022 to January 2024.
• She left three young children, including a five-month-old baby, alone on multiple occasions, sometimes strapped into a car seat or high chair.
• Ward falsified and destroyed care records to obstruct investigations into her actions, as revealed by a police inquiry.
• Parents of the affected children described the incidents as a betrayal of trust, with lasting emotional harm to their families.
• Ward received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months, 200 hours of unpaid work, and £150 in costs, and she has since quit childminding permanently.