Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews

Sometimes a child suffers a serious injury or death as a result of child abuse or neglect. Understanding not only what happened but also why things happened as they did can help to improve our response in the future. Understanding the impact that the actions of different organisations and agencies had on the child’s life, and on the lives of his or her family, and whether or not different approaches or actions may have resulted in a different outcome, is essential to improve our collective knowledge. It is in this way that we can make good judgments about what might need to change at a local or national level.

The purpose of Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews

CSPRs look at how local professionals and organisations worked together to safeguard the child or young person at the centre of the review. It may also look at how they are working with other children in the immediate family. The review considers what has happened, what lessons can be learned for the future and what changes may need to be made.

To support the NSCP in undertaking its CSPRs we have produced a Framework and Practice Guidance for undertaking these reviews which can be accessed here.

Carrying out Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews

The safeguarding partners must make arrangements to identify and review serious child safeguarding cases which, in their view, raise issues of importance in relation to their area. They must commission and oversee the review of those cases, where they consider it appropriate for a review to be undertaken.

Serious child safeguarding cases are those in which:

abuse or neglect of a child is known or suspected and
the child has died or been seriously harmed

The criteria which the local safeguarding partners must take into account include whether the case:

highlights or may highlight improvements needed to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, including where those improvements have been previously identified
highlights or may highlight recurrent themes in the safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of children
highlights or may highlight concerns regarding two or more organisations or agencies working together effectively to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
is one which the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel have considered and concluded a local review may be more appropriate

Safeguarding partners should also have regard to the following circumstances

where the safeguarding partners have cause for concern about the actions of a single agency
where there has been no agency involvement and this gives the safeguarding partners cause for concern
where more than one local authority, police area or clinical commissioning group is involved, including in cases where families have moved around
where the case may raise issues relating to safeguarding or promoting the welfare of children in institutional settings

Reviews are led by an independent reviewer with no connection to the case under review or to the organisations whose actions are being reviewed. Professionals involved with the child or family in the case are fully involved in reviews. They are invited to contribute their perspectives without fear of being blamed for actions they took in good faith.

Learning from Reviews

Reviews are not ends in themselves. The purpose of these reviews is to identify improvements which are needed and to consolidate good practice. The findings from Reviews are translated into programmes of action which lead to sustainable improvements and the prevention of death, serious injury or harm to children.

The findings from all reviews should be shared with professionals, to assist in this Northamptonshire produces briefings that can be used to aid discussions on reviews in team meetings and as part of training events. The below document gives more detail on how we do this:

Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews - engaging and supporting frontline practitioners

Published Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews

Published Northamptonshire Serious Case Reviews

Copies of historic reviews are avalibale upon request from the Business Office at NSCP@northnorthants.gov.uk

Relevant National Reviews

Chadrack, Hackney SCB - 6 Step Briefing
NSPCC - Infants: Learning from Case Reviews

Last updated: 16 October 2024

LSCBLocal Safeguarding Children Board Northamptonshire