Introduction to Safeguarding Reviews
"The purpose of serious child safeguarding case reviews, at local and national level, is to identify improvements that can be made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Learning is relevant locally but 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." (Working Together 2023, Chapter 5).
Whilst the responsibility for learning from serious child safeguarding incidents lies at a national level with the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, it is the local safeguarding partners who are responsible for making arrangements to identify and review serious child safeguarding cases and to ensure that the learning is appropriately shared across Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly.
A seven minute briefing about Understanding Rapid Reviews can be found here.
Any agency may refer a case to the Rapid Review Panel for consideration (Rapid Review Referral Form). Strategic partners will agree whether the circumstances reach the Working Together 2023 criteria for Rapid Review and if so, partners will be asked to provide relevant information to inform the Rapid Review discussion.
The National Child Safeguarding Practice Review panel guidance for safeguarding partners has primarily been written for local safeguarding partners. It will also be of interest to all senior leaders and frontline practitioners involved in child safeguarding, as well as the relevant inspectorates. The guidance is particularly aimed at those involved in local child safeguarding practice reviews (LCSPRs) including reviewers, review panel members, and those responsible for decision-making around reviews.
Our local guidance outlines the process and practice for undertaking reviews in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly