Safeguarding case review tracker guidance

The safeguarding case review tracker data collection is

• a live data and information collection process to provide a facility for recording and capturing lessons/outcomes from all multi agency safeguarding and domestic homicide reviews
• it links in with the safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk in the NHS safeguarding accountability and assurance framework (SAAF 2019) This document sets out the responsibilities of all individuals working in providers of NHS funded care and NHS commissioning organisations with specific reference to sharing the learning from such reviews
• the tracker provides a global view of incidents and the workload for the regional designated professionals and other key stakeholders in NHS commissioning organisations and the newly formed ICS and placed based settings
• it will provide accurate information in the reporting of Domestic Homicide Reviews, Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews, Safeguarding Adult Reviews and Rapid Reviews (we will be able identify how many rapid reviews actually convert to a CSPR/SAR/DHR), reporting into CCG and ICS governance and National and Regional Safeguarding meetings

This data collection was created for the following reasons

• there is an NHS system already established called StEIS to record Serious Incidents, however it is used to record incidents that happen where NHS commissioned care is provided only and it does not lend itself to the type of tracking needed in the safeguarding systems, and there is also nowhere in the StEIS system to specifically record if the incident is a safeguarding incident.
• the Case Review Tracker has been designed specifically to collect safeguarding incidents information regardless of the setting, e.g. in a public street or park, or someone’s home etc. It will provide information such the number of cases open and closed, themes of incidents and learning from any recommendations, which will be discussed and shared across the systems
• a live Safeguarding Case Review Tracker will update information in a timely way, to a consistent format, allowing records to be as up to date as possible
• this system will support the delivery of safeguarding statutory duties across all agencies involved in safeguarding
• it will enable consistent oversight and reporting for CCGs and ICSs across their geographies and can act as the single repository of safeguarding case review data in newly merged CCGs which may have a variety of legacy systems, and which will want to ensure oversight and assurance across their constituent boroughs
• NHSE/I colleagues and other stakeholders will be able to identify and report on the number of safeguarding multi agency reviews, the causes, themes and the learning that have occurred at the end of each month, quarterly and annually

The data will be taken from the following safeguarding case reviews: Safeguarding Adult Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews, Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews and Rapid Reviews. Each of the above safeguarding case reviews should have the following information recorded:

Open/closed status, date added, CCG area, CCG code, STP/ICS area, STP/ICS code, region name, region code, designated professional’s Initials, Safeguarding Partnership/Board/CSP, STEIS number and/or local identifier, type of review, Incident date, brief overview, abuse/vulnerability theme 1:  abuse/vulnerability theme, 2, abuse/vulnerability theme theme 3 media interest, latest update, date report is signed off, publication date (plus the option to state whether a report is to be public or embargoed), web link to report,  organisational learning 1, organisational learning 2, organisational learning 3, lessons learned/recommendations.

The starting point for a case to be included as ‘open’ is the formal commissioning of the review by the local safeguarding or community safeguarding partnership. The case will be recorded as ‘closed’ at the point at which the review report is completed,  signed off and published or if publication is embargoed. 

The ‘live’ tracker will be hosted by NHS Digital and data will be provided from all CCGs, by the Designated Professionals or delegated persons. Data will not contain patient identifiable data. For example, in the ‘local identifier’ field do not enter names such as ‘JonS’.

The case review tracker will be piloted during July 2021, with representatives from each region, to test the submission process and to identify any issues.

Healthcare providers must contribute towards safeguarding reviews/enquiries as required to do so by the local Safeguarding Adult Board (SAB), Local Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) and Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs). It is an agreed practice that the CCG in which the patient is resident takes responsibility for coordinating the health component of Safeguarding/Domestic Homicide Case Reviews.

The collection will be live for submission in quarter 3 2021/2022.