Life changing injuries to a baby, thought to be non-accidental. The incident is subject to an ongoing police investigation at the time of the review. Learning includes: parental vulnerabilities and the potential impact on parenting; the need to consider if neglect is an issue when a child has emerging special needs; maintaining a focus on the child and their lived experience over time; processes and practice that safeguards babies who have unexplained bruising; the impact on children of a parent's mental health difficulties; the effective and robust consideration of fathers/non-birthing partners; and parental engagement, including understanding the barriers to meaningful engagement. Recommendations to the Partnership include: seek assurance from partner agencies about the impact of the on-going focus on working effectively with fathers and non-birthing partners; seek assurance that professionals understand and assess the impact of mental health and trauma on parenting, including the development and use of a clear mental health pathway for safeguarding in pregnancy and after the birth of a child; ask the relevant partner agencies for an update on the work undertaken to improve the response to bruising in non-mobile babies; seek assurance on how agencies are balancing high support with high challenge when required; request an update from the relevant partner agencies on work being undertaken in respect of using chronologies which incorporate the history of siblings and parents to inform safeguarding work; seek assurance from agencies regarding work being undertaken to ensure increased use of the Graded Care Profile by trained professionals, and for this to be monitored and appropriately challenged.
      
 Title:  ‘Dylan’: local child safeguarding practice review – summary of learning. LSCB: Stockport Safeguarding Children Partnership Author: Stockport Safeguarding Children Partnership Date of publication: 2023  This case review report was deposited by the publishing LSCB(s) with the national SCR repository, a partnership between the Association of Independent LSCB Chairs and the NSPCC.  This report is available online via the NSPCC Library Catalogue. Copyright of this report remains with the publishing LSCB(s) listed above.                           ‘Dylan’Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review – Summary of LearningCompleted June 2023The CSPR ProcessThe Stockport Safeguarding Children Partnership has undertaken a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR). It has identified about the professional involvement with a family where a young baby sustained life changing injuries that are thought to be non-accidental.The incident leading to the injuries is the subject of an on-going police investigation. Therefore, the full review cannot be published until this has concluded.An independent lead reviewer worked with a panel of local managers and safeguarding leads and met with the professionals involved directly with the family prior to the injuries. This provided the review with the opportunity to reflect on both the case and wider systems and practice in Stockport.The family were invited to meet with the lead reviewer. They chose not to engage at this time.  Learning has been identified in the following areasThe need for all of those working with the family to know about parental vulnerabilities and to consider the potential impact on parentingThe need to consider if neglect is an issue when a child has emerging special needsPractice needs to focus on the child and their lived experience over time, including speaking directly to older children Processes and practice that safeguards babies who have unexplained bruisingThe need to specifically consider the impact on children of a parent’s mental health difficultiesPractice and systems must ensure the effective and robust consideration of fathers/non-birthing partners Identifying and considering issues with gaining parental engagement, including understanding the barriers to meaningful engagementRecognising the impact on practice where a parent has significant needs, and the need to maintain a focus on the childThe review made the following recommendations, and an action plan is being progressedThat the Partnership, considering the learning from this review and the previous CSPR Child A, seek assurance from partner agencies about the impact of the on-going focus on working effectively working with fathers and non-birthing partners. The Partnership should seek assurance that professionals understand and assess the impact of mental health and trauma on parenting. This should include developing and using a clear mental health pathway for safeguarding in pregnancy and after the birth of a child, that is understood and used by all relevant professionals.  The Partnership to ask the relevant partner agencies for an update on the work undertaken to improve the response to bruising in non-mobile babies. The Partnership to ask agencies to provide assurance on how they are quality assuring the need to balance high support with high challenge when required.   The Partnership to request an update from the relevant partner agencies on work being undertaken in respect of using chronologies* within and across agencies, which incorporate the history of siblings and parents, to inform safeguarding work. The national CSPR Panel, should also be asked to consider whether there is a need nationally for more guidance in respect of this. The Partnership to seek assurance from agencies regarding work being undertaken to ensure increased use of the GCP by professionals who have been trained, and for this to be monitored and appropriately challenged. 