A personal and conceptual reflection on findings from serious case reviews during the period 1987-2018: Part I

Drawing upon personal reflections and analysis, interviews with professionals and existing literature, parts I and II of this article highlight key themes that emerge from an analysis of over 200 serious case reviews (‘SCRs’) during the period 1987–2018. The personal reflection and observations rely on professional involvement in SCRs during this period, as chair, author and committee member. Together with access to reports held in the repository (NSPCC National Case Review Repository 2017 https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/case-reviews/national-case-review-repository) and the most recent triennial analysis of SCRs (M Brandon, P Sidebotham, P Belderson, H Cleaver, J Dickens, J Garstang, J Harris, P Sorenson and R Wate Complexity and challenge: a triennial analysis of SCRs 2014–2017 Final Report, 2020), we explore different conceptual ideas that may elicit a greater understanding, as to how and why the same themes continue to be rehearsed in the majority of reports involving serious injury or death of a child.