Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships are required to undertake a Child Safeguarding Practice Review when a child has died or been seriously harmed as a result of abuse or neglect and where there is cause for concern about the way agencies have worked together to safeguard children.

The purpose of a review is to:

• Establish whether there are lessons to be learned from the case about the way in which local professionals and organisations work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children;

• Identify clearly what those lessons are, how they will be acted upon, and what is expected to change as a result; and

• As a consequence, to improve inter-agency working and better safeguard and promote the welfare of children

Safeguarding partners must undertake a rapid review for serious child safeguarding cases as stated in Section 16C(1) of the Children Act 2004 (as amended by the Children and Social Work Act 2017) as set out in Working Together 2023.

The purpose of a rapid review is to:

• gather the facts about the case, as far as they can be readily established at the time

• discuss whether there is any immediate action needed to ensure children’s safety and share any learning appropriately

• consider the potential for identifying improvements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

• decide what steps they should take next.

All agencies who have been involved with the subject child or family will be required to contribute to the rapid review. An initial scoping of agencies’ intervention will, therefore, need to be completed and other relevant information will need to be rapidly gathered.

All child safeguarding practice reviews should:

• reflect the child's perspective and the family context

• be proportionate to the circumstances of the case

• focus on potential learning

• establish and explain the reasons why the events occurred as they did

• include a brief overview of the key circumstances, background and context of the case

• provide a summary of why relevant decisions by professionals were taken

• critique how agencies worked together and identify any shortcomings

• consider whether any shortcomings are features of practice in general

• consider what would need to be done differently to prevent harm occurring to a child in similar circumstances

• provide recommendations for what needs to happen to ensure that agencies learn from this case

Section 47 is a child protection inquiry under the children act 1989. This is initiated when a child is to be believed be suffering or at risk of significant harm. The process involves information gathering, multi agencies strategy discussions, interviews with the child and family and analyse the findings to decide on action which can range from providing family support to imitating immediate protective measures. Based on what you find the local authorities will decide what the necessary steps to safe guard the child and family.