1.9.1 Death or Serious Injury to a Child (Looked After and Child in Need) |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This chapter outlines the immediate steps to be taken in the event of the suspicious death of/serious injury to a child living in the community or the death of/serious injury to any child in care (Looked After).
These steps are in addition to the carrying out of the Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton Safeguarding Children Board Procedures in relation to the need to hold a Serious Case Review and the work of the Child Death Overview Panel.
This chapter uses the expression Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury to a Child). This person should also be notified in circumstances where there is a serious injury to a child.
AMENDMENT
This chapter was updated in November 2017 in line with the requirement to notify Ofsted of any serious childcare incident using the Ofsted online notification form.
Contents
- Death of or Serious Injury to a Child in the Community
- Death of or Serious Injury to a Child in Care
- Needs of Social Worker / Team / Manager / Carer
1. Death of or Serious Injury of a Child in the Community
Where there is the suspicious death of a child or serious injury to a child, living in the community, the following tasks are required.
1.1 | The child's social worker or, if unallocated, the duty worker receiving the information will:
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1.2 | The line manager will immediately inform the Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury to a Child) by telephone and provide follow up information in writing as soon as possible afterwards. |
1.3 | The Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury to a Child) will:
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1.4 | he report to Ofsted is submitted online and the contents entered must be reviewed by the Designated Manager before it is submitted. The form requires a range of information and is set out clearly in sections. A copy of the completed form should be saved and printed out for the records. In urgent situations, the Deputy Director or Director of Children’s Services should telephone Ofsted on 0300 123 1231 and then complete the form. |
1.5 | Where a Serious Case Review is to be held, this must be conducted in accordance with Chapter 4: Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton Safeguarding Children Boards Procedures. |
1.6 | If a decision is made not to hold a Serious Case Review by the Chair of the Local Safeguarding Children Board, this will be notified to Ofsted and the National Panel of Independent Experts on Serious Case Reviews in accordance with the Local Safeguarding Children Board Procedures. |
2. Death of or Serious Injury to a Child in Care
Where information comes to notice of the death of or serious injury to a child in care, the following tasks are required.
2.1 | The child's social worker will:
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2.2 | The line manager will:
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2.3 | The Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury to a Child) will:
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2.4 | The report to Ofsted is the same as the previously outlined online report above. |
3. Needs of Social Worker / Team / Managers / Carer
During the implementation of this procedure consideration must be given to the needs of those staff and carers involved in the case.
The impact of a child death on social worker/team/manager/carer needs to be addressed in terms of:
- The need for counselling for those involved;
- The manner in which such support is offered;
- The provision of access to legal and professional advice about the ongoing conduct of the case;
- The provision of a clear explanation of the process of a Serious Case Review;
- Support for staff in the event of Police investigation/interviews;
- The need to inform and keep informed any relevant Trades Unions;
- The need for team debriefing whilst observing confidentiality. This must be discussed with the Service Manager;
- The need to acknowledge that a child death can impact on the productivity of any team and its ability to function; and the need to agree strategies to manage workloads.
End