Pathways to harm: Child, parent and family characteristics in English serious case reviews, 2011-14

Aim: To describe the child, parent and family characteristics of serious and fatal child maltreatment in England Methods: Preliminary data were obtained from the Department for Education (DfE) on all Serious Case Reviews... [ view full abstract ]

Aim: To describe the child, parent and family characteristics of serious and fatal child maltreatment in England

Methods: Preliminary data were obtained from the Department for Education (DfE) on all Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) between April 2011 and March 2014. SCR overview reports were obtained and scrutinised for case characteristics. Thematic coding and analysis of the overview reports was carried out to identify key characteristics.

Results: A total of 293 SCRs were notified to DfE, of these, overview reports were obtained on 175, relating to 123 deaths and 52 serious injuries. Thematic analysis identified a number of vulnerabilities in the children, including young age, disability, and prior signs of abuse or neglect. However, a majority of children did not have any specific vulnerability identified. Data on the parents and carers revealed a wide range of risks, many of which appeared to be cumulative, including domestic violence, mental health problems, drug and alcohol abuse, a past history of adverse childhood experiences, a history of criminality, and indicators of maternal ambivalence to her child. These often occurred within a wider context of social isolation and housing difficulties.

Conclusion: This analysis provides a deeper understanding of the interaction between childhood vulnerability, parent or carer risk, and the wider social and environmental context within which children are living and growing.