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Contents

1. Death of or Serious Injury to a Looked After Child 
2. Death of or Serious Injury to a Child in the Community

1. Death of or Serious Injury to a Looked After Child

Where information comes to notice of the death of or serious injury to a Looked After Child , the following actions are required,.

1. The child’s social worker or any other member of staff who first learns about the child’s death or serious injury will obtain as much information as possible on the circumstances surrounding the cause of death or serious injury and immediately inform his or her team manager;
2. Out of Hours: If the death or serious injury takes place outside of office hours, the Emergency Response Team should be contacted. The team will arrange for the Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury of a Child in Need) to be contacted. In discussion with the Designated Manager, the ERT social worker should decide on arrangements for notifying parents or person with Parental Responsibility;
3. During office hours: The manager will:
   
   
   1. Immediately inform the Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury of a Child in Need) by telephone and then confirm details in writing as soon as possible afterwards;
   2. Advise and obtain advice as required by the Legal Services initially by telephone, then confirm details in writing;
   3. Contact the Insurance Section of the Finance Department, initially by telephone and then in writing; and
   4. Discuss with the Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury of a Child in Need) responsibility for contacting the Press Office if the nature of the death or serious injury is such that it might warrant public attention;
   5. Inform parents in person wherever possible, following any advice given by the Legal and/or Insurance section in the event of any liability matter.  If the child’s sibling(s) is looked after, arrangements should be made to inform the child(ren) about the sibling’s death;
   6. In the event of the child's death, discuss with the parent(s) and reach agreement regarding the arrangements for the funeral (in the event of sudden, unexplained deaths arrangements for the funeral may need to be delayed) and agree any necessary expenditure including reasonable travel expenses to assist the family in attending the funeral where it appears there is financial;
   7. if the child is in hospital, agree with the hospital the arrangements for the parent(s) and carer(s) to visit the child in hospital, communicate this to the parent(s) and carer(s) and agree any necessary expenditure including reasonable travel expenses to assist the family in visiting the child where it appears there is financial hardship.
4. The Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury of a Child in Need) will, in addition to the requirements of the Child Death Review process:
   
   
   1. Inform the Chief Officer, who will decide whether to notify members;
   2. Agree with the Chief Officer a press interest strategy;
   3. Consider the appropriate manager to conduct a Management Review (For Guidance in relation to Management Reviews, see Incidents Guidance);
   4. Contact the Manager of the Review and Child Protection Unit and Chair of the Walsall Safeguarding Children Board in order to consider whether a Serious Case Review is required; and
   5. Inform the Department for Education (See Notifications of Serious Childcare Incidents (including Deaths of Looked After Children and Children in Regulated Settings)). 
5. The child’s social worker or nominated member of staff will be required to prepare a report that the Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury of a Child in Need) will arrange to send to Department for Education and Ofsted with a covering letter. A copy of the report should be kept in the child’s records and will contain details of:
   1. Local Authority;
   2. Child's Name;
   3. Date of Birth;
   4. Date of Death/Serious Injury;
   5. Child’s Legal Status;
   6. Type of Placement (if residential, the name and type of Children's Home should be included);
   7. Address of Placement;
   8. Cause of Death as on Death Certificate/Serious Injury;
   9. Dates if any when child was the subject of a Child Protection Plan or on the Child Protection Register;
   10. The date and findings of the Inquest and any criminal proceedings initiated. It may be necessary to notify these details at a later date;
   11. Brief details of the case including care history, and action being taken including funeral arrangements/hospital treatment. Please indicate if parents have been notified of the death/serious injury and the support being made available to them;
   12. Policy and practice issues raised and intended local authority action (to follow later if necessary).
6. The Social worker should notify the Health Trust, Education Service and any other relevant authority or party with an interest in the child’s circumstances;
7. In the case of a child death, the social worker should also consider the need for bereavement counselling for those affected.  If the death occurred in relation to a child with palliative care needs, the Palliative Care Team can provide bereavement counselling.

2. Death of or Serious Injury Regarding a Child In Need in the Community

Where information comes to notice of the death of or serious injury to a Child in Need, in the community, the following tasks are required.

1. The child's social worker or any other member of staff who first learns about the child's death or serious injury will obtain as much information as possible on the circumstances surrounding the death or injury, and the child's current condition and immediately inform the team manager or Emergency Response Team.

2. The social worker’s line manager will: 

   1. Immediately inform the Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury of a Child in Need) by telephone and then confirm details in writing as soon as possible afterwards;
   2. Discuss with the Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury of a Child in Need) responsibility for contacting the Press Office if the nature of the death or serious injury is such that it might warrant public attention;
3. The Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury of a Child in Need) will:
   1. Inform the Director of Children's Services and consider whether to notify elected members;
   2. Consider the appropriate manager to conduct a Management Review (For Guidance in relation to Management Reviews, see Incidents Guidance);
   3. Contact the Manager of the Review and Child Protection Unit and Chair of the Walsall Safeguarding Children Board in order to consider whether a Serious Case Review is required;
   4. Agree with the Chief Officer a press interest strategy;
   5. Consider whether it is appropriate to inform the Department for Education (See Notifications of Serious Childcare Incidents (including Deaths of Looked After Children and Children in Regulated Settings)) and Ofsted if not already done.
4. The social worker should notify the Health Authority, Education Department and any other relevant authority or party with an interest in the child’s circumstances.

End