Family involvement

Serious Case Review Quality Markers 

Quality statement

The Serious Case Review (SCR) is informed by ‘family’ members’ knowledge and experiences relevant to the period under review.

Rationale

Family members are an important source of information about how services were experienced in an individual case and may provide information about service delivery in general. In this context, the definition of family can be broadened to include wider family and networks where this is judged to be necessary and proportionate to the likely learning. Publication of SCRs places a greater onus on the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) to ensure that personal data placed in the public domain is accurate and involving family members may facilitate this. However, it can be entirely appropriate for family members to decide not to take part.

How might you know if you are meeting this quality marker?

  1. Is there clarity about why family members are being involved?
  2. Has there been discussion about which family members are involved and why?
  3. Is it agreed how family members are being supported to be involved?
  4. Do the family have the opportunity to influence the focus of the review?
  5. Is there clarity about what the family is going to be asked?
  6. Has there been discussion about how the analysis will be informed by family members’ knowledge and experiences relevant to the period under review?
  7. Has there been discussion about how families are to be represented in the final report?
  8. If family members are not involved, are the reasons for non-involvement reasonable and are they documented?
  9. Are there mechanisms to allow the family to feedback on the report before it is completed?
     

Knowledge base

Equality & diversity

Link to statutory guidance & inspection criteria

Tackling some common obstacles