Regulation 4 Serious case reviews

(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.