CYP Now - Poverty a key factor in a third of serious case reviews

More than a third of serious case reviews submitted over three years cited poverty as a key factor leading to the abuse or death of a child, a new government review has found.

Poverty is linked to factors including neglect, substance abuse and poor mental health, the report states. Picture: Adobe Stock

Between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2017, there were 368 serious case reviews (SCRs) carried out by local safeguarding children boards.

Of these, 206 were carried out following the death of a child and 162 were carried out as a result of serious harm being inflicted on a child.

Analysis of 278 reports available from the 368 SCRs, commissioned by the Department for Education as part of Complexity and Challenge: a Triennial Analysis of SCRs, found that in 35 per cent of cases poverty or economic deprivation was noted as a feature.

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