How could it happen?

And Emma Massey revealed how her family would never forgive Wendy Barlow for the death of 19-month-old Joshua at her house in Sabden.

She now fears she will never know exactly what happened and what turned the well-respected and seemingly professional childminder into a negligent drunk on the night of the death.

She said she would never trust a childminder again and questioned a system which left her mourning her son, despite making all the relevant checks over Barlow's suitability.

Ofsted registered childminder Barlow yesterday admitted killing Joshua Massey-Hodgkinson at her home in Eightacre Avenue, despite originally denying the charge.

Barlow, 38, changed her plea at Preston Crown Court and judge Peter Openshaw QC was told that she fully expected to be jailed when she is sentenced next month.

Joshua, who lived in St Paul's Terrace, Clitheroe, with his mother Emma, 25, and father Simon Hodgkinson, 34, drowned in the bath at Barlow's semi-detached house, where she was registered to mind up to five children.

She had been registered with Ofsted for a year and had recently passed an inpection with flying colours.

She was not registered to look after children overnight but would only have had to demonstrate she had the correct bedding and sleeping arrangements in order to get that permission.

Childminders undergo wide-ranging checks and require first aid qualifications but only complete a basic one day, council-run training course before registration.

An inquiry into the case is being carried out by Ofsted to ensure they acted correctly. A separate investigation is being conducted by the area child protection committee, made up of police and social services, to see if anything could have prevented the death.

Today Emma said: "I had no idea there were different types of registration and Ofsted did not flag this up to me. If I had known that she was not registered to look after children overnight I would never have taken Josh that night.

"I think the process for acrediting child minders needs to be a lot more rigorous with more training because I am not the only mother to lose their child in this way. I will never trust a childminder again."

Joshua was the couple's first child and Emma, who works for a publishing firm, said: "We trusted her. She was recommended to us, and we checked that she was registered with Ofsted and she was. We don't what more we could have done but our son is still dead."

"I'm now worried that I will never find out what happened that night and will never know what led to Joshua drowning.

"I would rather have gone through the hell of a full trial, as hard as it would be, than end up not knowing how Joshua died, which is what I think will happen now.

"For months and month, she had insisted she has done nothing wrong, and gone on bail being allowed to live with her family, and then she changes her plea and avoids a full trial.

"I need to know how Joshua died before I can start to grieve. Accidents do happen but this wasn't an accident."

Michael Shorrock, QC, told yesterday's hearing that being in charge of a child while drunk was 'gross negligence.'

Lancashire Area Child Protection Committee chairman Gill Rigg said: "The ACPC has a duty to conduct a serious case review if the death of a child is suspected to have been caused by neglect or abuse. We are in the process of reviewing this case and will publish a summary of our findings on completion."

A spokesman for Ofsted said: "Mrs Barlow's registration was suspended immediately following the tragedy and her registration has now been cancelled."

Barlow was last night surrounded by family at their home in Sabden. Her sister, Catherine Smith, said: "Wendy is not well, not well at all.

"There are no winners in this, only losers. We are all very sorry for what has happened, especially for his family, because they have been through so much."