Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews
Sometimes a child a child suffers serious injury or death as a result of abuse or neglect.
The purpose of child safeguarding practice review is to identify improvements that can be made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Understanding not only what happened but why it happened can help improve the response of organisations and agencies working with children and families in the future.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
The purpose of serious child safeguarding case reviews, at local and national level, is to identify improvements that can be made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Learning is relevant locally but has a wider importance for all practitioners working with children and families and for the government and policymakers. Understanding whether there are systemic issues, and whether and how policy and practice need to change, is critical to the system being dynamic and self-improving.
Reviews should seek to prevent or reduce the risk of recurrence of similar incidents. They are not conducted to hold individuals, organisations, or agencies to account. There are other processes for that purpose, including employment law and disciplinary procedures, professional regulation and, in exceptional cases, criminal proceedings. These processes may be carried out alongside a review or at a later stage. Employers should consider whether any disciplinary action should be taken against practitioners whose conduct and/or practice falls below acceptable standards. They should then refer to their regulatory body as appropriate.
The responsibility for how the system learns the lessons from serious child safeguarding incidents lies at a national level with the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (the panel). At a local level the responsibility lies with the safeguarding partners.
The panel is responsible for identifying and overseeing the review of serious child safeguarding cases which, in its opinion, raise issues that are complex or of national importance. It should also oversee the system of national and local reviews and how effectively it is operating.
The safeguarding partners play an integral role in establishing a system of learning and reflection locally. Safeguarding partners must:
- identify and review serious child safeguarding cases which, in their opinion, raise issues of importance in relation to their area
- commission and oversee the review of those cases if they consider it appropriate."
Taken from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
Safeguarding Partners for Southampton:
- Southampton City Council
- The Integrated Care Board
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police
Serious Incidents Notification Process (SIN)
This is the formal process of notifications to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.
The duty to notify serious incidents to the Panel sits with local authorities. All notifications are also made available to the DfE and Ofsted.
Under the Children Act 2004, if a local authority in England knows or suspects that a child has been abused or neglected, the local authority must notify the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel if
(a) the child dies or is seriously harmed in the local authority’s area, or
(b) while normally resident in the local authority’s area, the child dies or is seriously harmed outside England.
As outlined in Working Together 2018, cases should be notified within five working days of the local authority becoming aware of the incident."
"The local authority must notify the Secretary of State for Education, and Ofsted of the death of looked after child."
Taken from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
Why do Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews take place?
The purpose of Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews is to identify ways to improve practice to safeguard and promote the welfare of children by:
- Identifying key learning, particularly around the way in which professionals work together
- Sharing learning with partners and gaining assurance around how learning has been taken forward and embedded into practice
Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships have a duty to publish an anonymised version of the review on their website. This will include a 6-step briefing which summarises the key learning for professionals.
2023
Child Safeguarding Practice Review - Willow
CSPR - Uma
CSPR - Stephen
Thematic review
Child Sexual Abuse & Children Looked After Professionals Briefing - Exploring cases of sexual abuse in care experienced children.
2022
CSPR - TED
2021
Non-Accidental Injury - Thematic SCR
Archived
Archived reports will be available on request from the Southampton Safeguarding Children Partnership.
Please note: reviews are published on the website for one year from their publication date. If you would like to access older reviews please contact the Safeguarding Partnership at safeguarding.partnershipsteam@southampton.gov.uk
