National Guidance for Child Protection Committees for Conducting a Significant Case Review

Criteria for establishing whether a case is significant

A significant case need not be about just one significant incident. In some cases, for example, neglect, concerns may be cumulative.

Criteria

When a child dies and the incident or accumulation of incidents (a case) gives rise to significant/serious concerns about professional and/or service involvement or lack of involvement, and one or more of the following apply:

• Abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the child's death;
• The child is on, or has been on, the Child Protection Register (CPR) or a sibling is or was on the CPR. This is regardless of whether or not abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the child's death unless it is absolutely clear to the Child Protection Committee that the child having been on the CPR has no bearing on the case;
• The death is by suicide or accidental death^[2];
• The death is by alleged murder, culpable homicide, reckless conduct, or act of violence^[3];
• At the time of their death the child was looked after by, or was receiving aftercare or continuing care from, the local authority^[4],

When a child has not died but has sustained significant harm or risk of significant harm as defined in the National Guidance for Child Protection Scotland^[5], and in addition to this, the incident or accumulation of incidents (a case) gives rise to serious concerns about professional and/or service involvement or lack of involvement, and the relevant Child Protection Committee determines that there may be learning to be gained through conducting a Significant Case Review.