The purpose of the Serious Case Review Panel is to manage and co-ordinate the process of the production of the Serious Case Review Report.
A specific appointment of an Independent Chair will be made for each review undertaken. The Chair of the Serious Case Review Panel should not be:
- A member of the LSCB involved in the review
- An employee of any of the agencies involved
- The author of the overview report.
The Chair of the Serious Case Review Panel will write to all the organisations and individuals involved in the case (including Ofsted):
- Outlining the circumstances which have prompted the review
- Giving the names, dates of birth and last known address of the child/ren, any siblings and any significant adults.
- Giving the name and address of the Chair of the Serious Case Review Panel to whom the individual management report and chronology must be sent, and by when.
Organisations will be requested to:
- Identify a senior manager to commission an Individual Management Review (IMR) within their own agency or service, to sign off an Action Plan developed from IMR Recommendations, and to act as a Panel Member.
- Ensure that all case records relevant to the case are secured if this has not already been done
- Appoint an appropriate senior person to conduct an individual management review who must not have been directly concerned with the child or family, or be the immediate line manager of the practitioner(s) involved.
- Ensure the individual management review report format as set out in Working Together 2010 Chapter 8 Para 8.39 is followed
N.B In the case of private and voluntary agencies, particular attention needs to be given to identifying the appropriate senior people who should be at Director/Trustee level.
Relevant independent professionals (including GPs) will be requested to contribute reports of their involvement with the child and family. Where a children’s guardian contributes to a review, the prior agreement of the courts should be sought so that the guardian’s duty of confidentiality under the court rules can be waived to the degree necessary.
The Serious Case Review Panel must commission an overview report that:
- Brings together the findings of the individual management reviews and independent professional reports that have been produced
- Makes recommendations for future action.
The Serious Case Review Panel should actively manage the Serious Case Review process, by meeting on a minimum of two occasions to address:
Any difficulties being experienced in completing the reports, and consideration of whether more time is needed to carry out the review
Any information or issues emerging that indicate a need to review the terms of reference.
The sharing of findings to date to enhance knowledge and learning from the case.
- Quality assurance of the reports ensuring that guidance is complied with and reports are rigorous.
- Seeking legal advice as necessary , so findings from other relevant processes e.g. criminal proceedings/inquest, are incorporated into the Serious Case Review Report
- Setting milestones for tasks within the SCR process,
- Ensuring organisations and individuals are satisfied their information is fully and fairly represented in the overview report
- Ensuring the overview report is of a high standard
- Agreeing the content of the executive summary so that it accurately reflects the full overview report
- Translating recommendations from the overview report into an action plan signed up to at senior levels within involved organisations, and setting out who will do what, when, and with what intended outcomes
- Agreeing arrangements for communication with, and any engagement of, the child (if surviving) and family members/carers as appropriate during or following completion of the overview report.
- Ensuring that feedback is given to staff in individual agencies
- Providing a copy of the overview report, action plan, and individual management reports to OfSTED and DfE.
- Ensuring that media issues are considered in relation to publication.
- Ensuring that arrangements are in place for the monitoring of Action Plans
The LSCB Business Manager will act as the Serious Case Review Co-ordinator and will:
- Support the Serious Case Review Panel and its Chair throughout its operation.
- Report progress on the Serious Case Review to the LSCB and the Serious Case Review Sub Group
