Child Safeguarding Practice Review
When 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, 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 their 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 judgements about what might need to change at a local or national level. This understanding may be achieved through a Child Safeguarding Practice Review.
The purpose of reviews of serious child safeguarding cases, at both local and national level, is to identify improvements to be made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and to prevent or reduce the risk of recurrence of similar incidents. Learning is relevant locally, but it has a wider importance for all practitioners working with children and families and for the government and policymakers. Understanding whether there are systemic issues, and whether and how policy and practice need to change, is critical to the system being dynamic and self-improving.
Serious Incident Notification
- Serious Incident Notification Referral Form
- Serious Incident Notification Referral Form (Accessible)
This form should be used to report any serious child safeguarding incident, including where a child has died, been seriously harmed, or where there has been a significant near miss. Notification should also be made in respect of all Care Leavers up to the age of 25 who have died, irrespective of the cause of death, in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children (2026).
Early notification supports the Calderdale Safeguarding Children Partnership to fulfil its statutory responsibilities, including consideration of a Serious Incident Notification, Rapid Review or Child Safeguarding Practice Review. For further details on criteria visit: Report the death or serious harm of a child or care leaver – GOV.UK
Referrers should not delay submission if all information is not yet available.
Publication of Reports
Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews are about promoting and sharing information about improvements, both within the area and potentially beyond, so Calderdale Safeguarding Children Partnership will publish reports, unless there are exceptional circumstances which make it inappropriate to do so. In these cases, the CSCP will publish information about the improvements that should be made following the review. Published reports or information will be available on this website for at least one year.