Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews

Statutory reviews relating to children are carried out where abuse or neglect is known or suspected and either:

• a child has died or;
• a child has been seriously harmed and there are concerns about how organisations or professionals worked together to protect the child.

The full criteria are specified in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

The local authority also has a duty to notify such cases and this initiates a Rapid Review.  This has to be completed within 15 working days and is intended to identify learning as quickly as possible. The rapid review process will determine whether a further review is required - a Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPRs) which have replaced Serious Case Reviews. 

Any agency can make a referral for consideration of a CSPR.  Referrals should made to the Partnership Practice Review Group using the PPRG referral form 

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel

Nationally The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (CSPR Panel) has been established to maintain oversight of the system of national and local reviews relating to children and how effectively it is operating. In addition, it has the responsibility to identify and oversee the review of serious child safeguarding cases which, in its view, raise issues that are complex or of national importance.

Rapid review reports completed locally have to be sent to the CSPR Panel within 15 days of a case being notified.  The Panel have been able to collate learning from cases across the country to identify important themes and set these out in their Annual Reports.

The CSPR Panel has also completed a number of thematic reviews:

• It was hard to escape: safeguarding children at risk from criminal exploitation
• Out of routine: A review of sudden unexpected death in infancy
• The Myth of invisible men: safeguarding children under 1 year old from non-accidental injury

Reviews of national interest 

Nationally the NSPCC Repository provides a single place for published case reviews relating to children to make it easier to access and share learning at a local, regional and national level.

The repository is accessible via the NSPCC library online, which has over 600 case reviews and inquiry reports dating back to 1945. There are also NSPCC Thematic Briefings available on a range of themes.

Learning for the future is a research report that analyses rlearning from serious case reviews (SCRS) over a 2 year period.  Ths aim of the report is to provide evidence of the key issues and challenges for agencies working to safeguard children.   

Wiltshire published reviews (CSPRs and SCRs)

The CSPR Panel requires that all statutory reviews are published. In Wiltshire we also publish briefings on cases which have not met the criteria for a statutory review, but where a local review has taken place in order to identify learning. 

LCSPR Baby Eva: Non accidental injuries to a 3 month old baby 

LCSPR Baby Eva: Full Report 

LCSPR Baby Eva: 7 minute briefing

LCSPR Baby Eva: slides for using to disseminate learning within your organisation

LSCR Baby Eva: Video interview with report author Mark Gurrey (accessed via Virtual College account)

Swindon CSPR Bella and Ben: neglect of two young children with learning for both Swindon and Wiltshire agencies  

CSPR Bella and Ben Full Report

CSPR Bella and Ben Executive Summary

CSPR Bella and Ben Learning Briefing 

LCSPR Long-term sexual abuse of children in care 

LCSPR Long term sexual abuse of children in care: Full Report 

LCSPR Long term sexual abuse of children in care: 7 minute briefing

LCSPR Long term sexual abuse of children in care: slides for using to disseminate learning within your organisation

LCSPR Family N: Themes include: care proceedings, working with resistance and working with Child Sexual Abuse

LCSPR Family N – May 2021 Full Report 

LCSPR Thematic Review into Significant Physical Abuse in Children 

LCSPR Thematic Review Full Report 

SCR Family M: Themes include: historic concerns in relation to abuse and neglect; assessing risk of contact abuse by those who download child sexual abuse images; link between child sexual abuse and other forms of abuse and neglect; escalating concerns

SCR Family M Published Report – April 2018 Full Report 

SCR Family M: Learning Lessons Practice Briefing

SCR Family M: Slides outlining the case and findings for using to disseminate learning within your organisation

SCR Child K: Themes include: death of a one year old  child under 1 in the context of previous concerns about non accidental injuries

SCR Child K: June 2019 Full Report 

SCR Child L: Themes include: significant non accidental injuries to a baby; working with fathers; mental health and substance misuse; inquisitive practice

SCR Child L: June 2019 Full Report 

If you would like access to case reviews published before 2017, please contact SVPP@wiltshire.gov.uk