GovWire

What incidents to report

Childrens homes and secure childrens homes must report the following incidents (sometimes called incident notifications or events) to us:

• the death of a child
• if you have reported someone under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• you know or suspect that a child has been involved in or subject to sexual exploitation
• a serious incident with a child that required police involvement
• an abuse allegation against the home or someone working there
• if a child protection enquiry has started or concluded
• if a child has a serious accident or injury (secure childrens homes only)
• if a child has absconded (secure childrens homes only)
• if a child makes or receives unauthorised contact with someone that their plan states they should not be in contact with (secure childrens homes only)
• any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers serious

Your Ofsted record will automatically update when you submit your report.

When you must report an incident

You should report the death of a child immediately.

All other incident reports should be made without delay and, where possible, within 24 hours. In situations where you need to gather further information, we recognise this may take more than 24 hours.

Report an incident

The serious incident reporting form will ask you for the following:

• your unique reference number (URN) (you can find your URN on your registration, your inspection reports and on your Ofsted reports page)
• the type of incident
• your contact details and the details for your service and relevant members of staff
• when and where the incident happened
• details of any child involved and the initials of all staff involved
• the registered persons evaluation of the incident and actions taken
• if you have informed any other relevant people or organisations such as the Secretary of State, the placing authority or relevant local authority

Report a serious incident

Report an incident in a different childrens social care service

Death of a child

You must use the serious incident reporting form to report the death of a child to us without delay.

The reporting form will ask you to provide the following details of the incident:

• a brief summary of the incident
• the cause of death, including the date of diagnosis or time of the incident that led to death
• any treatment the child has received and details of the hospital the child has been admitted to (if any)
• actions taken by staff and managers at the time

Report the death of a child

Safeguarding referrals

Use the serious incident reporting form if someone in your service has been referred to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) as unfit to work with children or vulnerable adults.

Childrens homes and secure childrens homes must tell Ofsted if they have reported someone under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Telling Ofsted about safeguarding referrals

The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:

• a brief summary of the incident
• the date of referral
• the role of the person referred
• the reason for referral
• the date and reference number of any previous notification to Ofsted relating to this person
• actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures

Report a safeguarding referral

Known or suspected sexual exploitation

Childrens homes and secure childrens homes must use the serious incident reporting form to tell Ofsted if they know, or suspect, that a child has been involved in or subject to sexual exploitation.

Secure childrens homes also need to report if a child accesses or receives electronic material that may suggest they are at increased risk of, or being subject to, sexual exploitation.

Telling Ofsted about known or suspected sexual exploitation

The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:

• a brief summary of the incident or incidents
• the reasons that have led you to believe that a child has been sexually exploited
• actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures

Report known or suspected sexual exploitation

Police involvement

Childrens homes and secure childrens homes should use the serious incident reporting form to tell Ofsted about any incident involving the police that the registered person considers to be serious.

Usually this means the police are taking action on an incident in your service, for example:

• making an arrest
• taking witness statements
• responding to an incident in the home

You do not need to send a serious incident report about police involvement just because you are in contact with the police about an incident.

For example, if the police are helping you with another incident that you are reporting, but you dont consider their involvement requires a report in its own right, you can mention on that incident report that the police are helping you. You do not need to send a separate report to Ofsted about police involvement.

Telling Ofsted about about police involvement

The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:

• a brief summary of the incident
• the outcome of any police investigation
• actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures

Report police involvement

Allegations of abuse

Childrens homes and secure childrens homes must use the reporting form if any allegation of abuse is made against your service or a member of your staff.

Telling Ofsted about allegations of abuse

The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:

• a summary of the allegation
• actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures

Report an allegation of abuse

Start or conclusion of a child protection enquiry

You must send one serious incident report when a child protection enquiry has started (instigated) and another report when it has finished (concluded).

Do not use the reporting form to send any other updates about an enquiry to Ofsted, you only need to report the start and conclusion. If you have already reported a child protection enquiry, but you want to provide an update, you can do this by sending an email to your allocated inspector.

Telling Ofsted about the start or conclusion of a child protection enquiry

The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:

• a brief summary of the event that led to the start of the enquiry, including the date and time
• actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures (if known)

If youre reporting that an enquiry has finished, you need to include:

• the date that you reported the start of the enquiry
• the outcome of the enquiry
• your notification reference number
• actions taken by staff and managers in response to t
  

  View the original news story