Case Reviews

When it is known or suspected that a child has died or been seriously harmed due to abuse or neglect, the Safeguarding Children Partnership (SCP) in their area may conduct a Local Safeguarding Practice Review (LPR). This allows the SCP to review inter-agency working and identify any learning that can be taken from the incident. The SCP is also encouraged to undertake LPRs in cases where a child has not been seriously harmed, as a way of identifying and sharing examples of good practice.

The LPR should be ordered within one month of notification of the case, often following the conclusion of a Rapid Review process, and as far as possible should be concluded within six months. The panel for the review is made up of representatives from the agencies that were involved with the child, and an independent expert. If the case in question meets the criteria for an LPR, the Partnership must prepare a report which should be available on the SCP’s website for six months after publication.

The report must provide a thorough analysis of the events that took place, and should explain what needs to happen in order to prevent a recurrence. It should also describe what changes have already been made in response to the review, how effective they have been, and what changes remain to be put into place.

Local Practice Reviews are one element of the SCP’s Learning and Improvement Framework which identify improvements which are needed in services and professional practice and to consolidate good practice. The SCP and its partner organisations translate the findings from reviews into programmes of action which lead to sustainable improvements and the prevention of death, serious injury, or harm to children.

Local Practice Reviews

Local Practice Reviews are undertaken by the SCP when:

Abuse or neglect of a child is known or suspected; and

either — (i) the child has died; or (ii) the child has been seriously harmed and there is cause for concern as to the way in which the authority, their Board partners or other relevant persons have worked together to safeguard the child.

The SSPC’s procedures for Serious Case Reviews can be found in the SET Child Protection Procedures.

All Southend SCP serious case reviews are published on this website for a period of at least six months. After six months serious case reviews are archived within the NSPCC’s Repository.

Southend SCP has published two Reviews since 2009, the ‘Baby Robert’ Case and the ‘Baby Kathy’ Case, both completed in 2010. The programme of actions from these Reviews has been completed and they have been archived.