Significant case reviews and learning reviews
A Significant Case Review (SCR) finds the facts after a child has
- died in certain circumstances
- been harmed and there are concerns about agencies being, or not being, involved.
Download significant case reviews (PDFs)
SCRs are independently chaired and involve an impartial team of staff from different agencies, such as the police, NHS and local authority.
SCRs help child protection committees learn about how better to protect children and young people, and help ensure they get the help they need when they need it in the future.
Learning reviews
SCR's have now been replaced by learning reviews. The key features of a Learning Review are:
Inclusiveness, collective learning and staff engagement - A Learning Review should be multi-agency; bringing practitioners together with the review team in a structured process in order to reflect, increase understanding and identify key learning.
Support for staff is critical and should be integral to the review process in order that they can participate fully in the process, reflect on their practice, share their knowledge and contribute to the emerging learning.
A systems approach - The Learning Review does not stop at the points when shortcomings in professional practice have been recognised, it moves on to explore the interaction of the individual with the wider context, including cultural and organisational barriers, in order to understand why things developed in the way they did. The focus is on:
- What happened
- How some assessments were made
- Understanding how people saw things at the time; what knowledge was drawn on to make sense of the situation; the resources available and the emotional impact of the work
- Effective practice and
- Identification of learning points and how they will be actioned and implemented in future practice and systems
Proportionality and flexibility - The situations under review will inevitably be complex and diverse and require a streamlined, proportionate and flexible approach to ensure effective learning.
Timing and timelines - Long review processes should be avoided. Optimum learning is achieved when it is relevant for current practice