Notification of Serious Events

The Children’s Homes Regulations also require notifications to be made to Ofsted, the placing authority and other relevant persons in the following circumstances:

1. A serious incident requiring Police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. Police involvement means the Police are actively doing something concerning the incident, for example making an arrest or taking witness statements; and
2. There is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘serious’ as: ‘significant or worrying because of possible danger or risk; not slight or negligible’. The line between what is serious, and what is not, can be blurred and is always a matter of judgement.

Deciding whether an incident is ‘serious’ and warrants notification to Ofsted will depend on many factors, including the age of the child, the frequency of the incident(s),the nature of any injuries sustained, any additional needs the child has and the context of the home, In some instances the cumulative effect of frequent incidents may make a notification appropriate even if in isolation the individual incident would not warrant this.

Incidents which are likely to be considered serious (and thus warrant notification to Ofsted as well as the placing authority) include:

• A child being the victim or perpetrator of a serious assault;
• A serious illness or accident;
• A serious incident of self harm;
• Serious concerns over a child’s missing behaviour, such as where you consider the child to be at grave risk due to age or vulnerability, where they have been missing for a considerable period of time and their whereabouts are unknown or where there is a repeated pattern of absence. (Please note - Ofsted do not need to routinely know about children going missing from the home, even if the Police are called out to help look for them. However, this information should always be shared with the placing authority).

A serious illness or accident would include matters such as fractured bones, when a child loses consciousness or situations that require admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours. Ofsted do not need to be notified about injuries such as sprains, strains or falls that have happened in the course of regular childhood experiences. This is the case even if the child is taken to the local accident and emergency department to have the injury checked out, unless it results in the child being admitted to hospital for more than 24 hours. If the injury has been sustained as part of a wider incident, for example a restraint or during a child running away, it may be appropriate to notify Ofsted. However, Ofsted do not need to know if a child becomes ill and is not admitted to hospital.

Self-harm incidents that result in minor or superficial injuries do not need to be reported to Ofsted. However, homes should have in place a system for notifying responsible authorities of any serious concerns about the emotional or mental health of a child to the extent that a mental health assessment would be requested under the Mental Health Act 1983. Ofsted should be notified if a child living in the home requires a Mental Health Assessment.

This is not an exhaustive list, and each case must be assessed individually taking into account any patterns of behaviour or unusual behaviour that may indicate an increased risk to the child.

Sharing Information with the Placing Authority

Regardless of whether Ofsted are notified, the home must share any concerns about the child or their behaviour with the placing authority, in order to safeguard the child and promote their welfare.

The notification must include details of:

1. The incident;
2. Who else has been notified; and
3. Outcomes and future actions.

Quality of Notifications

Notifications should not just be a chronology of events. The notification should include a brief summary of the event, the actions taken by staff and managers at the time, and further actions planned to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident occurring again.

Registered managers are responsible for the quality of the reports completed by their staff.

As part of the inspection process, Ofsted will discuss incidents to gain a shared understanding of what happened and the actions staff took to address the situation.

This conversation will be wider than the process of notifying (or not notifying) Ofsted, and will focus on your response to any incidents in terms of safeguarding practice and outcomes for children.

Sending updates to Ofsted

Ofsted do not need to be sent updates in relation to any notifications made, unless there is a significant development. Even though Ofsted are not updated it may be appropriate to share updates with the placing authority and other relevant persons.

Ofsted will discuss incidents as part of the inspection process with aim of understanding the incident and actions taken by staff as a result and further actions planned to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident occurring again.

There may be occasions when an inspector will ask for an update following a serious incident because this would be helpful in understanding what has happened and the action that you have taken. In these situations, the inspector is likely to ask for additional information to be sent directly by email rather than through a series of further notifications.

There is no legal requirement to keep notifying Ofsted as a case progresses.

Learning from Notifications

It is important that managers consider the wider implications of incidents which have led to notifications. The notification should not be seen as the end of the process; rather the circumstances of the incident should be reviewed and any implications for safeguarding or outcomes for children identified. Wherever possible, actions should be planned to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents occurring again. Inspectors will ask for information on learning from notifications during subsequent inspections.