A Local Safeguarding Children Board should always undertake a serious case review when a child dies, including if a child commits suicide, and abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the child's death. A serious case review should be considered when a child has been seriously harmed, sustaining a life threatening injury or illness or they have had a permanent health or development issue due to neglect or abuse. Government inquiries are called by the government when cases of such serious case reviews may warrant the need for more wide reaching action that could have implications on national legislation and national safeguarding policies for agencies and professional practice. The SCRs and inquires are in place to learn how to avoid similar cases happening in the future and gives rise to concerns about the way in which professionals and services worked together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, SCR’s at a local level and inquiries at a level of national concern. The conclusions of an inquiry are delivered in the form of a written report, given first to the government, and after published to the public.
Serious case reviews consider immediately whether there are other children who are likely to be placed in the same situation. SCRs give guidance to services working with children on how to better their services and how better to improve inter-agency working safeguard and promote the welfare of children. A serious case review will establish what lessons are to be learned from the case, how agencies are expected to improve their service and in the way agencies work between each other, a SCR must clearly establish what is expected to change as a result and within what timescales they will be acted on. This information is shared with the relevant agencies and must then be implemented.
“Serious case