Real Case: Child Safeguarding Practice Review – “Child W” (2025)

A five-year-old child, referred to as Child W, died following significant safeguarding failures that were later examined in a published Child Safeguarding Practice Review (May 2025). Prior to the child’s death, there had been multiple contacts with services and opportunities to identify escalating risk. However, concerns were not consistently recognized as indicators of significant harm, and critical information was not effectively shared between agencies. At one point, key partners — including the child’s early years setting — were not contacted during referral decision-making, limiting a full understanding of the child’s lived […]