The Local Safeguarding Children Boards (Wales) Regulations 2006

Serious case reviews

4.—(1) A Board must undertake a review (a “serious case review”) in accordance with this regulation in any of the following cases where, within the area of the Board, abuse or neglect of a child is known or suspected, and—

(a) a child has died, or

(b) has sustained a potentially life-threatening injury, or

(c) has sustained serious and permanent impairment of health or development.

(2) A Board may undertake a serious case review in accordance with this regulation where a child within its area suffers harm which does not fall within paragraphs 1(a)(b) or (c).

(3) The purpose of a serious case review is to identify steps that might be taken to prevent a similar death or harm occurring.

(4) In carrying out a serious case review, a Board must—

(a) ask each representative body to provide the Board with a written report of its involvement with the child who is the subject of the review, unless the Board is of the opinion that such a report is unnecessary in the circumstances;

(b) following receipt of each report referred to in sub-paragraph (a), produce a written report (referred to in these Regulations as an “overview report”) that—

(i) identifies steps to be taken to reduce the risk of a similar death or harm occurring; and

(ii) recommends the time by which, and identifies the persons by whom, those steps should be performed;

(c) produce an anonymised summary of each overview report and make it available for inspection at the Board’s principal office.

(5) The Board must provide the National Assembly for Wales with a copy of—

(a) each report provided by a representative body in accordance with paragraph (4)(a) above;

(b) each anonymised summary; and

(c) each overview report.

(6) The Board must provide each representative body with a copy of—

(a) each anonymised summary; and

(b) unless the Board considers it inappropriate, each overview report.