Death or Serious Harm to a Child (Looked After, Child in Need or Care Leaver Up to and Including the Age of 24)
Scope of this chapter
This procedure outlines the immediate steps to be taken in the event of:
- the death or serious harm to any child where it is known or there are suspicions of abuse or neglect;
Or - the death or serious harm to any child looked-after (including the death of a care experienced person up to age 25) whether or not abuse or neglect is known or suspected.
Either of the above circumstances requires a Serious Incident Notification (SIN).
These steps are in addition to any Rapid Review or Child Safeguarding Practice Review which may be commissioned and the work of the Child Death Overview Panel.
This procedure uses the term Designated Manager (Death or Serious Harm to a Child). This Designated Manager must be notified for either of the above circumstances.
Rationale:
As outlined in Working Together 2023 Chapter 2, the safeguarding partners play an integral role in establishing a system of learning and reflection locally.
Amendment
This chapter was reviewed locally, and updated in February 2026.
Local authorities in England must notify the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (the Panel) within 5 working days of becoming aware of a serious incident.
Serious incidents which should be reported are those where the local authority knows or suspects that a child has been abused or neglected and:
Safeguarding partners must:
- identify and review serious child safeguarding cases which, in their opinion, raise issues of importance in relation to their area;
- commission and oversee the review of those cases if they consider it appropriate.
Serious child safeguarding incidents are those in which abuse or neglect of a child is known or suspected AND
- The child dies (including suspected suicide) or is seriously harmed in the local authority's area;
OR - While normally resident in the local authority's area, the child dies or is seriously harmed outside England.
Serious harm includes (but is not limited to) serious and/or long-term impairment of a child's mental health or intellectual, emotional, social, or behavioural development. This is not an exhaustive list. When making decisions, judgement should be exercised in cases where impairment is likely to be long-term, even if this is not immediately certain. Even if a child recovers, including from a one-off incident, serious harm may still have occurred.
Whether the abuse was known or suspected, in essence means that there was sufficient reason to suspect that abuse or neglect was present and, at least in some way, caused or contributed to the death or serious harm of a child. The Safeguarding Partners do not need to wait until abuse or neglect is proven to make a notification and it is for local areas to determine which cases should be submitted to the Panel based on local and contextual understanding.
Local authorities and safeguarding partners should refer to the panel's guidance for further clarity on issues relating to the criteria for serious child safeguarding cases.
Any suspicion of serious harm/neglect relating to any child under 18, should be notified to CSCP@croydon.gov.uk who will co-ordinate the decision whether it meets the criteria for a Serious Incident Notification. The decision will be made by the safeguarding partners although the LA is responsible for the notification within timescales (5 days of the incident).
A Serious Incident Notification (SIN) for a child under 18 where abuse or neglect is suspected ALWAYS requires a Rapid Review.
The timescales for conducting the Rapid Review (which is co-ordinated by CSCP@croydon.gov.uk) is very tight (15 days from the incident) so please ensure CSCP@croydon.gov.uk is notified at the earliest opportunity.
In some cases, an incident may not meet the criteria for a Serious Incident Notification but may nevertheless raise issues of importance to the local area. That might, for example, include where there has been good practice, poor practice or where there have been 'near-miss' incidents. Safeguarding partners may choose to undertake a local child safeguarding practice review in these or other circumstances, in which case they should be clear about their rationale for undertaking such a review and what its focus will be.
It is for safeguarding partners to determine whether a review is appropriate, given that the purpose of a review is to identify improvements to practice and prevent similar re-occurrences. Meeting the criteria does not mean that safeguarding partners must automatically carry out a local child safeguarding practice review.
These are the steps to take when a death or serious harm of a child, or death of a care experienced person under the age of 25 occurs
There is a single link to report either type of Serious Incident Notification:
You should read and consider the following guidance before completing the Notification on line.
The child's social worker or, if not previously known to Children's Social Care, the duty worker receiving the information will:
- Immediately inform their line manager;
- Obtain as much information as possible on the circumstances surrounding the cause of death/serious harm and pass this to the line manager.
The line manager will immediately inform the Designated Manager (Death or Serious Harm to a Child)by telephone and provide follow up information in writing as soon as possible afterwards.
The Designated Manager (Death or Serious Harm to a Child) will:
- Inform the Director of Children's Services, who will notify local authority members as necessary;
- Ascertain as full details as possible from the Police and any other source;
- Request their administrative staff to check Children's Services records on the child and family and share any information held;
- Collect any files held on the child and family and secure them in the correct office location;
- Arrange to inform relevant agencies about the death/serious harm and remind them to secure their files;
- Arrange to consider the circumstances of the death/serious harm, in accordance with the London Safeguarding Children Procedures, including the need to hold a Rapid Review and, where the child has died, a referral to the Child Death Overview Panel.
Where a Child Safeguarding Practice Review is to be held, this must be conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 in Working Together to Safeguard Children and the London Safeguarding Children Procedures.
Where information comes to notice of the death of or serious harm to a child in care, the following additional tasks are required:
The child's social worker will:
- Immediately inform their line manager;
- Notify the parent(s) immediately and in person, if possible;
- In the event of a child's death, discuss with the parent(s) and reach agreement regarding the arrangements for the funeral (in the event of sudden, unexplained deaths arrangements for the funeral may need to be delayed);
- In the event of a serious injury to the child, arrange with the parent(s) to visit the child in hospital;
- Obtain as much information as possible on the circumstances surrounding the cause of death/serious harm and pass this to their line manager; and
- Discuss with the line manager any necessary expenditure including reasonable travel expenses to assist the family in attending the funeral or visiting the child in hospital where it appears there is financial hardship;
- Where the child was in a long term foster placement, discuss with the line manager any possible conflict between the carers and the parents regarding arrangements for the child's funeral.
The line manager will:
- Immediately inform the Designated Manager (Death or Serious Harm to a Child) by telephone and provide follow up information in writing as soon as possible afterwards;
- Advise Legal Services initially by telephone, then confirm details in writing; and
- Contact the Insurance Section of the Finance Department, initially by telephone and then in writing.
The Designated Manager (Death or Serious Harm to a Child) will:
- Inform the Director of Children's Services, who will come to a decision about whether to notify the local authority Members;
- In the event of a death, ensure that the parents' wishes concerning the funeral are discussed (by the social worker or the team manager), that any possible conflict with the wishes of the carers are also ascertained and addressed, and that any appropriate associated costs are met;
- Arrange, in consultation with the CSCP Business Manager appropriate meetings under the London Safeguarding Children Procedures, including the need to hold a Rapid Review;
- When a Looked After Child dies, the local authority must notify the Secretary of State for Education and Ofsted. To do so, submit online notifications using the DfE's Child Safeguarding Incident Notification System. This must be done whether or not abuse or neglect is known or suspected.
All deaths of looked after children (or care experienced persons up to the age of 25) must be notified, including deaths by suicide, accidents and medical causes. However, unless abuse or neglect was known or suspected to have contributed directly to the death, these cases do not need a Rapid Review.
It is still the same link to report, but will not trigger a Rapid Review.
Working Together 2023 (para 332) requires the Local Authority to notify the Secretary of State for Education and Ofsted, of the death of a care experienced child up to and including the age of 24.
This is regardless of the reason for the death - and does not require any evidence or suspicion of serious harm or neglect.
There is no requirement to report the serious harm of a care experienced child between the ages of 18-25, however if you believe there is an opportunity to identify improvements that can be made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, the facts should be communicated to CSCP@croydon.gov.uk and CSAB@croydon.gov.uk to consider whether a local learning review might be relevant. The decision for a review will be made by the safeguarding partners although the LA is responsible for the notification.
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 workers/team/manager/carer(s) 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 Child Safeguarding Practice 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.
Information needed to complete a Serious Incident Notification (SIN)
The link to the Child Safeguarding Online Notification form and the process for local authorities to notify incidents to the panel is available on the Report the Death or Serious Harm of a Child or Care Leaver.
More specific information about the data needed to prepare your report can be found in the Serious Incident Notification Guide for local authorities.
Action after submitting the SIN
Once your incident is submitted you should view your answers and download them as a PDF document. The Department for Education (DfE) will only get in contact with you if the data submitted is inaccurate.
The panel, DfE and Ofsted have joint access to the information submitted to the child safeguarding incident notification system.
The panel only have access to the information submitted in respect of notifications of children who have died or been seriously harmed, and abuse or neglect is known or suspected.
The panel will not have access to information submitted in reports relating to:
- Looked after children who died where abuse or neglect was not known or suspected;
- Care experienced young person notifications.
No further action will be taken with these notifications.
Last Updated: February 3, 2026
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