Death of a looked after child

Please provide by return email the following information for each of the financial years:

* 2022/23

* 2023/24

* 2024/25

* 2025/26 to date

1) How many looked after children known to your authority died during the year?

2) How many care leavers known to your authority died during the year?

3) How many notifications concerning the death of a looked after child were made by your authority and/or safeguarding partnership to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel?

4) How many notifications concerning the death of a care leaver were made by your authority and/or safeguarding partnership to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel?

5) Please provide copies of any local policies, procedures or guidance governing the notification or reporting of deaths involving care leavers. Definitions For the purposes of this request:

* "Looked after child" means a child who was looked after by the local authority under the Children Act 1989 at the time of their death.

* "Care leaver" means any person who was previously looked after by the local authority and for whom the authority had, or would ordinarily have had, leaving care responsibilities under the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 and associated legislation.

* "Death" means the death of a looked after child or care leaver known to the authority, regardless of the cause of death.

* "Notification" means any referral, notification, report or submission made to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, whether directly by the authority or through the local safeguarding partnership.

1) CIC

* 2022/23 - 1

* 2023/24 - 0

* 2024/25 - 0

* 2025/26 – 1

2) * 2022/23 0

* 2023/24 1

* 2024/25 0

* 2025/26 0

3) None **

**all deaths of CIC and Care Leavers (under 25) are notified to the CSPR Panel as expected in Working Together 2026 however they don't all trigger a Rapid Review or CSPR unless there are concerns about the suspected or known abuse or neglect in relation to their death.

The local authority must also notify the Secretary of State for Education, and Ofsted of the death of a looked after child and care leaver up to and including the age of 24 regardless of whether or not abuse or neglect occurred via the Child Safeguarding Incident Notification System.