Death or Serious Injury to a Child (Looked After, and Child in Need or Care Leaver Up to and Including the Age of 24)

The child's social worker or, if not previously known to Children's Social Care, the duty worker receiving the information will:

1. Immediately inform their line manager;
2. Obtain as much information as possible on the circumstances surrounding the cause of death/serious injury and pass this to the line manager.

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.

The Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury to a Child) will:

1. Inform the Director of Children's Services, who will notify local authority members as necessary;
2. Ascertain as full details as possible from the Police and any other source;
3. Request their administrative staff to check Children's Services records on the child and family and print out any information held;
4. Collect any files held on the child and family and secure them in the correct office location;
5. Arrange to inform relevant agencies about the death/serious injury and remind them to secure their files;
6. Arrange to consider the circumstances of the death/serious injury, in accordance with the Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool and Lancashire Children's Safeguarding Assurance Partnership (CSAP), including the need to hold a Rapid Review meeting and, where a child has died, a referral to the Child Death Overview Panel.

Local authorities should use the Child Safeguarding Incident Notification System to notify the Panel. The Panel will share all notifications with Ofsted and the DfE. The Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury to a Child) is responsible for the completion of the online notification. The form requires details of the child, family, involved agencies and of the incident.

A copy of the completed form should be downloaded and saved.

In urgent situations, the Assistant Director or Director of Children's Services should telephone Ofsted on 0300 123 1231 and then complete the form.

Where a Child Safeguarding Practice Review is to be held, this must be conducted in accordance with Chapter 4: Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool and Lancashire Children's Safeguarding Assurance Partnership (CSAP). The Head of Safeguarding will determine the most appropriate person to represent children's services on the review panel and who will be responsible for preparing information for submission to the panel. The review will be undertaken by an Independent Reviewer appointed by the Safeguarding Partners. They will use a systems methodology, although the exact model will vary according to the circumstances of each case. It is likely that each agency will be required to submit a chronology of their involvement and that there will be a practitioner event in which those practitioners who directly worked with the family come together to reflect on their experiences. The objective of the review is to prevent or reduce the risk of recurrence of similar incidents. They are not conducted to hold individuals, organisations or agencies to account, as there are other processes for that purpose, including through employment law and disciplinary procedures, professional regulation and, in exceptional cases, criminal proceedings.  The reviewer should draw conclusions and make recommendations for future action as a result of any lessons learned. Recommendations may be for the multi-agency system or individual agencies. The final report, other than in exceptional circumstances, will be published.

The child's social worker will:

1. Immediately inform their line manager;
2. Notify the parent(s) immediately and in person, if possible;
3. 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);
4. In the event of a serious injury to the child, arrange with the parent(s) to visit the child in hospital;
5. Obtain as much information as possible on the circumstances surrounding the cause of death/serious injury and pass this to their line manager; and
6. 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;
7. 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:

1. Immediately inform the Designated Manager (Death of a Child) by telephone and provide follow up information in writing as soon as possible afterwards;
2. Advise Legal Services initially by telephone, then confirm details in writing; and
3. Contact the Insurance Section of the Finance Department, initially by telephone and then in writing.

The Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury to a Child) will:

1. Inform the Director of Children's Services, who will notify Members as necessary;
2. 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;
3. Notify the Safeguarding Partners under the Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool and Lancashire Children's Safeguarding Assurance Partnership (CSAP) Procedures, including consideration of the need to hold a Rapid Review;
4. Additionally, whenever a child who is Looked After dies, the local authority must inform the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel within 5 days using the Child Safeguarding Incident Notification System. The Panel, will share all notifications with Ofsted and the DfE. The local authority must also notify the Secretary of State and Ofsted when a child who is Looked After has died, whether or not abuse or neglect is known or suspected.

In the event of a Child Safeguarding Practice Review being required, the steps outlined above will apply.