The prime purpose of a serious case review (SCR) is for agencies and individuals to learn lessons to improve the way in which they work both individually and collectively to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Serious case reviews are a statutory process and are governed by Chapter 8 of Working Together to Safeguard Children| (2010) . SCRs are part of the reviewing and investigative function of LSCBs set out in Regulation 5 of the Local Safeguarding Children Boards Regulations 2006.
The purposes of SCRs are to establish what lessons are to be learned from the case about the way in which local professionals and organisations work individually and together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and to improve intra- and inter-agency working and better safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
The Gateshead LSCB Serious Case Review Procedures will soon be included on this page.
SCRs are not inquiries into how a child died or into who is culpable. These are matters for coroners and criminal courts. SCRs are also not part of any disciplinary process relating to individual practitioners, where such a process is required as a result of information determined during a SCR this action should be undertaken separately and in line with the relevant organisations's disciplinary procedures.
The criteria for undertaking a SCR is set out in Chapter 8 of Working Together (see link above). In summary, LSCBs should undertake a SCR when a child dies and abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the death - irrespective of whether the local authority children's social care is, or has been, involved with the child or their family. The death of every child is also reviewed as part of the Child Death Review Process (see Chapter 7 of Working Together).
LSCBs should also consider whether to conduct a SCR when a child has been seriously harmed in the following situations:
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a child sustains a potentially life threatenting injury or serious and permanent impairment of physical and/or mental health and development through abuse or neglect; or
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a child has been seriously harmed as a result of being subjected to sexual abuse; or
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a parent has been murdered and a domestic homicide review is being initiated under the Domestic Violence Act 2004; or
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a child has been seriously harmed following a violent assault perpetrated by another child or an adult;
and the case gives rise to concerns about the way in which local professionals and services worked together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
The Gateshead LSCB Serious Case Review Procedures set out the SCR process adhered to by Gateshead LSCB.
The serious case review process is overseen and evaluated by Ofsted. LSCBs have a six-month period in which to complete a SCR and submit the documents to Ofsted for evaluation.
In line with regional guidance, anonymised Executive Summaries of all serious case reviews conducted by Gateshead LSCB will be published below for a minimum of six months following the completion of the Ofsted evaluation process. In line with revised guidance from the Department for Education, anonymised Overview Reports for all SCRs initiated after 10 June 2010 will also be published below.
Click on the links to access the documents
There are currently no SCR Executive Summaries or Overview Reports available on this website. If you require a copy of any previous SCR conducted by Gateshead LSCB please contact Louise Gill, LSCB Business Manager