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Serious Case Reviews

When a child dies, and abuse or neglect are known or suspected to be a factor in the death, the LSCB should always conduct a serious case review as set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children.

This should look at the involvement with the child and family of organisations and professionals to consider whether there are any lessons to be learned about the ways in which they work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Additionally, LSCBs should consider whether to conduct a Serious Case Reviews (SCR) whenever a child has been seriously harmed in the following situations:

• A child sustains a potentially life-threatening injury or serious and permanent impairment of physical and/or mental health and development through abuse or neglect
  
  
• A child has been seriously harmed as a result of being subjected to sexual abuse
  
  
• A child has been seriously harmed following a violent assault perpetrated by another child or an adult 
  
  
• The case gives rise to concerns about the way in which local professionals and services worked together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This includes inter-agency and/or inter-disciplinary working.
  
  
• A parent has been murdered and a domestic homicide review is being initiated under the Domestic Violence Act 2004

Please Note: The Home Office is working closely with other government departments to develop a process for undertaking Domestic Homicide Reviews and will ensure that any relevant issues regarding SCRs, or any other statutory reviews, are fully considered and incorporated into that process.

Once it is known that a case is being considered for review, each organisation should secure records relating to the case to guard against loss or interference and produce an Individual Management Review (IMR). The aim of the IMR is to look openly and critically at individual and organisational practice to see whether the case indicates that changes could and should be made and, if so, to identify how those changes will be brought about.

Once the IMRs have been completed by each individual agency the LSCB will commission an overview report that brings together and analyses the findings of the various reports from organisations and others, and that makes recommendations for future action. This will be carried out by an independent panel, whose members will be identified according to the needs of each case to ensure that they are independent of any involvement in the case and have access to any expert knowledge required.

Following a serious case review, an action plan should be drawn up and implemented and arrangements made to provide feedback and debriefing to staff, family members of the subject child and the media as appropriate. An Executive Summary of the overview report will be published.