9 out of 10 children who are subject to Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews are previously known to children’s services. However, what about that 1 in 10 case? What lessons can be learnt? This episode will answer those questions and focuses on a review recently published by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership. The review focuses on the tragic death of a three-week-old baby caused by his father, following a catastrophic breakdown in the father's mental health in the Autumn of 2022. Unlike many other Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews, prior to the baby’s death, the family were only receiving universal services and were not known to either children's social care or mental health services.

Learning themes include:

-Developing a better response when a person is in mental health crisis

-Improving access to mental health support

-The importance of passing on accurate and complete information

- Displaying cultural awareness so agencies are able to be sensitive to the way needs may present depending on ethnicity, culture and belief systems

-Considering whether community leaders such as Imams should be trained in counsel and mental health