Notifications of Significant Events

Wherever an event listed in the Notifications and Events table (below) occurs within one of the agency's foster homes or in relation to a child or children placed in one of the agency's foster homes, the Registered Manager or Operations Manager, must be informed immediately. All foster carers and Agency staff must be formally aware of this procedure and its statutory importance to ensure that the Registered Manager or Operations Manager is made aware as soon as possible of any significant events. Click here to view Schedule 7 Events and Notifications table - Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011.

The Registered Manager will send notifications to inform persons and appropriate authorities within 24 hours of the event occurring or coming to light. This will include, as a minimum, Ofsted (the regulatory authority) and the placing authority.

When an event takes place which meets the criteria, it should be reported immediately to the carer’s supervising social worker, or in their absence the Registered Manager or Operations Manager. (In the case of out of hours, the on call /out of hours manager should be notified).

The supervising social worker will identify and clarify the circumstances with the foster carers (ensuring any immediately required actions needed to safeguard the child are taken) and inform the placing authority of the notifiable event. Where possible, this should be the child(ren)'s social worker, their team manager or team duty social worker. In the case of it being out of hours, it should be the on call/out of hours service in the placing authority.

Where the placement is located in a different local authority to the placing/responsible authority, and the significant event is a possible safeguarding matter, the area authority should also be notified, as there may be a need to make appropriate enquiries under Section 47 Children Act 1989.

Notifications to Ofsted should be made by using the online notification form. Any member of staff can complete the notification form, but the Registered Manager is responsible for ensuring notifications are made. You will need your URN (Unique Reference Number), full postal address and details of the incident and those involved when completing the form.

In urgent situations, particularly where there is likely to be media interest in the incident, Ofsted can be contacted by telephone (0300 123 1231). The Fostering agency should work with the placing and area authority (if different) to ensure that the child(ren) is safeguarded and receive support as necessary, together with other children in the family (depending upon the impact of the significant event upon them).

The supervising social worker should also seek to provide emotional and practical support to the foster carer(s) in terms of the impact of the events where this is required.

All notifiable events should be recorded by the agency and updated with an outcome once any action has been taken or concluded.

Notifications should not just be a chronology of events. The notification should include a brief summary of the event, the actions taken by staff and managers at the time, and further actions planned to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident occurring again.

Registered managers and providers are responsible for the quality of the reports completed by their staff.

As part of the inspection process, Ofsted will discuss incidents to gain a shared understanding of what happened and the actions staff took to address the situation.

This conversation will be wider than the process of notifying (or not notifying) Ofsted, and will focus on your response to any incidents in terms of safeguarding practice and outcomes for children.

Ofsted do not need to be sent updates in relation to any notifications made, unless there is a significant development. Even though Ofsted are not updated it will be appropriate to share updates with the placing authority and other relevant persons.

Ofsted will discuss incidents as part of the inspection process with aim of understanding the incident and actions taken by staff as a result and further actions planned to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident occurring again.

There may be occasions when an inspector will ask for an update following a serious incident because this would be helpful in understanding what has happened and the action that you have taken. In these situations, the inspector is likely to ask for additional information to be sent directly by email rather than through a series of further notifications.

There is no legal requirement to keep notifying Ofsted as a case progresses.

It is important that managers and providers consider the wider implications of incidents which have led to notifications. The notification should not be seen as the end of the process, rather the circumstances of the incident should be reviewed and any implications for safeguarding or outcomes for children identified. Wherever possible, actions should be planned to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents occurring again. Inspectors will ask for information on learning from notifications during subsequent inspections.