Understanding serious case reviews and their impact - a biennial analysis of serious case reviews 2005-07

Abstract

Serious case reviews are undertaken when a child dies or is seriously injured, and abuse or neglect are known or suspected to be factors in the death. They are carried out under the auspices of Local Safeguarding Children Boards so that lessons can be learnt locally. This is the fourth biennial overview of serious case reviews across England and was commissioned to draw out themes and trends so that lessons learnt from these cases can inform both policy and practice. The child protection database was analysed to establish which of the 464 notifications of critical child care incidents reported progressed to become a serious case review. Of the 189 cases that became serious case reviews, descriptive statistics were obtained about the children, their families, the environment in which the children were living, and also some detail about professional involvement.