Serious Case reviews

Serious Case Reviews
Chapter 8 of Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010) sets out the purpose and process of serious case reviews (SCRs).

SCRs are undertaken when a child dies (including suicide), and abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the death. Additionally they can be undertaken where:
• 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; or
• a child has been seriously harmed as a result of being subjected to sexual abuse; or
• a parent has been murdered and a domestic homicide review is being initiated under the Domestic Viloence Act 2004, or
• a child has been seriously harmed following a violent assault perpetrated by another child or adult; or
• the case gives rise to concerns about inter-agency working to protect children from harm.

The purpose of SCRs are to:
• Establish whether there are lessons to be learned from the case about the way in which local professionals and agencies work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
• Identify clearly what those lessons are, how they will be acted on, and what is expected to change as a result
• As a consequence, improve inter-agency working and better safeguard and promote the welfare of children

Local Safeguarding Children Boards have a duty to publish any SCRs that they have conducted.

Every two years the Government publishes a summary of the lessons learned from Serious Case Reviews undertaken in the preceding period.  The third such summary has now been published and is available by clicking on this link

This page was last updated on the 19th of December 2011 and is scheduled for review on or before the 7th of June 2012