IT is the first anniversary of Joshua Massey-Hodgkinson's death.

Sitting in the front room of her mother's house in Clitheroe, Emma Massey can't help but watch the children playing in the cul-de-sac outside.

Alongside her is her partner Simon Hodgkinson.

After a minute watching the children kicking a football around, Emma breaks the silence.

"Joshua should be out there, playing with those children."

It's a moment which sums up the last year for Emma, Simon and their families.

The couple's heartache began when they took their 19-month-old to childminder Wendy Barlow's Sabden house to be looked after overnight.

He had been going to the house to be looked after every week day for nine months.

But instead of picking Joshua up the following morning, Emma and Simon were told by police Joshua had died.

Barlow had been so drunk while looking after him she allowed him into her bath. He slipped and drowned.

She didn't ring 999 for more than an hour, during which time she washed his clothes and put him into bed.

Barlow is now a month into a three-year prison term after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Emma, Simon and their family have been condemned to a life sentence.

Simon said: "It's the simple things which get to us now. This morning he should have been running around at his gran's but instead, we were sat next to his grave remembering our little lad. Somehow, that isn't right."

Joshua's grave, in Clitheroe cemetery, sums up the sense of loss not just felt by two families but the wider community.

Emma said: "There were a lot of flowers on there this week, even a bunch from the lads Simon goes out with.

"It is the sort of thing you expect women to do, isn't it? My gran even goes up there to trim the grass around it.

"I don't know how we would have coped over the last year without the support of everyone.

"There have been times when I've wondered whether we'll ever find out what happened that night and because she pleaded guilty, we didn't get to hear everything in court.

"

She added: "The last 12 months have been a rollercoaster ride of emotion for us, but a lot of the time we still feel numb.

She got three years for killing Joshua, and if she behaves well, she could be out after 18 months. That isn't justice."

The family found Barlow via regulatory body Ofsted. What they didn't know was that she wasn't registered to look after children at night. Nor did they know she had admitted binge drinking when applying to register.

Ofsted, triggered by another case, has now agreed to put all inspection reports about childminders on-line.

Emma added: "What is so clear now is that parents have to ask questions and not just assume the system will protect people.

We found out last week another term of the registration was that she couldn't look after children upstairs.

There was no child gate at the bottom of the stairs.

"Had I known about that, I think I would have wondered why she was breaking it.

"But if there had been another case like Joshua in the press I am sure I would have double-checked the registration with Ofsted to get the terms and conditions.

"I shouldn't have had to, because Ofsted should make them easy to get hold of.

"But I would have done. And I hope all parents who use a child minder will now do the same.

"It's only a small comfort to think we could stop this happening again, but at least it is a comfort."