Written question asked by Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 22 February 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 27 February 2007. It was answered by Baroness Hughes of Stretford (Labour) on Thursday, 8 March 2007 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Children: Protection

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many part 8 reviews took place in England in the last year for which figures are available; and what conclusions his Department has drawn from these reviews.

Answer: [holding answer 27 February 2007]: The Child Protection Database, maintained by the Commissioner for Social Care Inspection, indicates the cases that were the subject of a Serious Case Review (SCR). To date, in the year 2005-06, 55 cases have been confirmed as the subject of a Serious Case Review.The Department for Education and Skills is responsible for identifying and disseminating common themes and threads across SCR’s, and acting on lessons for policy and practice. An ‘overview’ report on the previous case reviews which took place in the period 2003-05 will be published in the summer of this year.

Secondary information