Notifications of Significant Events (External Notifications)

Regulation 36 and Schedule 7 of the Fostering Services Regulations 2011 set out the arrangements for notifications in relation to specified events.

Click here to view Schedule 7 Events and Notifications table.

Fostering Agencies should have a system in place to ensure notifications are made within 24 hours and that a written record of actions and outcomes is kept.

Whenever there is a serious injury or safeguarding concern, the Fostering Agency should notify the placing/responsible authority and, where the placement is located in a different local authority to the placing/responsible authority, the area authority should also be notified, (particularly where there may be a need for ensuring appropriate enquiries are made under Section 47 Children Act 1989).

Note also that the National Minimum Standards (NMS 29.3) requires notification to the responsible authorities, (the Responsible Local Authority and Integrated Care Board), of any serious concerns about the emotional or mental health of a child, such that a mental health assessment would be requested under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Regulation 40 (safeguarding notifications) of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 sets out the arrangements for notifications by the registered person in relation to serious  events which should be shared with Ofsted.

Notifications to Ofsted should be made by using the online notification form.

In urgent situations, Ofsted can be contacted by telephone (0300 123 1231). You will need your URN (Unique Reference Number) and full postal address when completing a form. If you are not able to submit the form online, it can be printed and sent to Ofsted at:

Notifications
Ofsted Business Unit
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD

_{[1] “relevant person” means any person, body or organisation that the registered person considers to be relevant in relation to the care, protection or safeguarding of a particular child in all the circumstances.}

_{[2] Deciding whether an incident is ‘serious’ and warrants notification to Ofsted will depend on many factors, including the age of the child, frequency of the incident, any injuries sustained, any additional needs the child has and the context of the home, In some instances the cumulative effect of frequent incidents may make a notification appropriate even if in isolation each event would not warrant this.}

Police involvement does not mean the Police have been informed of an incident; rather involvement implies that they are actively doing something concerning the incident, for example making an arrest or taking witness statements.

Incidents which are likely to be considered serious, and thus warrant notification to Ofsted as well as the placing authority, include:

• A child being the victim or perpetrator of a serious assault;
• A serious incident of self harm;
• Serious concerns over a child’s missing behaviour, such as where you consider the child to be at grave risk due to their age or vulnerability or where they have been missing for a considerable period of time and their whereabouts are unknown. (Please note - Ofsted do not need to routinely know about children going missing, even if the Police are called out to help look for them. However, this information should always be shared with the placing authority).

A serious illness or accident would include matters such as fractured bones, when a child loses consciousness or situations that require admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours. Ofsted do not need to be notified about injuries such as sprains, strains or falls that have happened in the course of regular childhood experiences. This is the case even if the child is taken to the local accident and emergency department to have the injury checked out, unless it results in the child being admitted to hospital for more than 24 hours. If the injury has been sustained as part of a wider incident, for example a restraint or during a child running away, it may be appropriate to notify Ofsted. However Ofsted do not need to know if a child becomes ill and is not admitted to hospital.

Self-harm incidents that result in minor or superficial injuries do not need to be reported to Ofsted. However, homes should have in place a system for notifying responsible authorities of any serious concerns about the emotional or mental health of a child to the extent that a mental health assessment would be requested under the Mental Health Act 1983.

This is not an exhaustive list, and each case must be assessed individually taking into account any patterns of behaviour or unusual behaviour that may indicate an increased risk to the child.