Report a serious incident in an independent fostering agency
Tell Ofsted about a serious incident in an independent fostering agency.
Applies to England
Do not use the serious incident form to send updates about an incident you have already reported. Read our guidance on when you should submit an update.
What incidents to report
Independent fostering agencies must report the following incidents (sometimes called incident ‘notifications’ or ‘events’) to Ofsted:
- the death of, or a serious illness or serious accident happening to a child placed with foster parents
- if you have reported someone working for a fostering service to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and safeguarding referrals
- an infectious disease at the home of a foster parent that a registered medical practitioner considers serious enough to report to their local council or local health protection team
- if you know, or suspect, that a child placed with foster parents has been involved in or is subject to child sexual exploitation
- a serious incident with a child where the police have been called to the foster parent’s home
- any serious complaint about an approved foster parent
- if a child protection enquiry has started or concluded
Your Ofsted record will automatically update when you submit your report.
When you must report an incident
You should report the death of a child immediately.
All other incident reports should be made without delay and, where possible, within 24 hours. In situations where you need to gather further information, we recognise this may take more than 24 hours.
Report an incident
The serious incident reporting form will ask you for the following:
- your unique reference number (URN) (you can find your URN on your registration, your inspection reports and on your Ofsted reports page)
- the type of incident
- your contact details and the details for your service, relevant members of staff and foster carers
- when and where the incident happened
- details of any child involved and the initials of all staff and foster carers involved
-
the registered person’s evaluation of the incident and actions taken or proposed to be taken
- if you have informed any other relevant people or organisations such as the Secretary of State, the placing authority or relevant local authority
To alert Ofsted in urgent situations, particularly if there is a lot of press interest, call 0300 123 1231.
Report an incident in a different children’s social care service
Death of a child placed with foster parents
You must use the serious incident reporting form to report the death of a child placed with foster parents without delay.
The reporting form will ask you to provide the following details of the incident:
- a brief summary of the incident (if known)
- the cause of death, including the date of diagnosis or time of the incident that led to death (if known)
- any treatment the child has received and details of the hospital the child has been admitted to (if any)
- any ongoing investigation or process by another agency
- actions taken by staff and managers at the time
Report the death of a child placed with foster parents
Safeguarding referrals
Use the serious incident reporting form if someone in your service has been referred to the DBS as unfit to work with children or vulnerable adults.
Independent fostering agencies must tell Ofsted if they have reported someone under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
Telling Ofsted about safeguarding referrals
The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:
- a brief summary of the incident
- the date of referral
- the role of the person referred
- the reason for referral
- the date and reference number of any previous notification to Ofsted relating to this person
- actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures
Report a safeguarding referral
Serious illness, injury or a reportable infectious disease at the home of a foster parent
Independent fostering agencies need to report if a child experiences serious illness or injury at the home of a foster parent.
A serious illness or injury usually means that a child needs medical treatment (other than basic first aid) at home or in a hospital.
Do not send a serious incident report to Ofsted:
- for minor injuries or illnesses that require no treatment or only basic first aid
- if a child is taken to hospital but they do not receive any treatment there
Infectious disease
If a registered practitioner reports an infectious disease in a fostering home to the local council or health protection team, you must report this as a serious incident.
Self-harm
If self-harm causes serious injury you should send a serious injury report and say that it was caused by self-harm. You do not otherwise need to report a serious incident for self-harm that results in minor injuries.
Telling Ofsted about serious illness, injury or reportable infectious disease
The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:
- a brief summary of the incident (if known)
- the cause of illness, injury or infectious disease. Include the date of diagnosis or time of the incident that led to injury or illness (if known)
- any treatment the child has received and details of the hospital the child has been admitted to (if any)
- in the case of injury, you should say what prevention measures you will put in place
- actions taken by foster carers, staff and managers at the time
Report serious illness, injury or infectious disease at the home of a foster parent
Known or suspected child sexual exploitation of a child placed with foster parents
Independent fostering agencies must use the serious incident reporting form to tell Ofsted if you know, or suspect, that a child placed with foster parents has been subject to sexual exploitation.
Telling Ofsted about known or suspected child exploitation
The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:
- a brief summary of the incident or incidents
- the reasons that have lead you to believe that a child has been sexually exploited
- actions taken by staff and managers at the time
- what planned actions staff and managers have in place to support foster carers and safeguard the child
Report known or suspected sexual exploitation of a child placed with foster parents
Police attendance at a foster home
Independent fostering agencies must report any serious incident involving a child placed at a foster parent’s home that required calling the police to the foster parent’s home.
Usually this means that the police are responding to an incident at a foster carer’s home or taking action that involves a member of the fostering household. For example:
- making an arrest
- taking witness statements
- responding to an incident in the foster carer’s home
You do not need to send a serious incident report about police involvement just because you are in contact with the police.
For example, do not report that the police have attended a foster carer’s home to take a missing child report for a single incident of a child going missing and quickly returning home. This is monitored as part of your schedule 6 management monitoring.
Telling Ofsted about police attendance
The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:
- a brief summary of the incident
- the outcome of any police action or investigation
- actions taken by foster carers, staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures
Report police attendance at a foster home
Serious complaints against foster carers
Independent fostering agencies must use the reporting form if a serious complaint is made against an approved foster carer.
If an allegation has been made against a foster carer that you view as serious, you may report this as a serious complaint.
Telling Ofsted about serious complaints against foster carers
The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:
- a summary of the complaint
- actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures
- details of any plan to review the foster carer’s continued suitability to foster
Report a serious complaint against a foster carer
Start or conclusion of a child protection enquiry
You must send one serious incident report when a child protection enquiry has started (‘instigated’) and another report when it has finished (‘concluded’).
Do not use the reporting form to send any other updates about an enquiry to Ofsted, you only need to report the start and conclusion. If you have already reported a child protection enquiry, but you want to provide an update, you can do this by sending an email to your allocated inspector.
Telling Ofsted about the start or conclusion of a child protection enquiry
The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:
- a brief summary of the event that led to the start of the enquiry, including the date and time
- actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures (if known)
If you’re reporting that an enquiry has finished, you need to include:
- the date that you reported the start of the enquiry
- the outcome of the enquiry
- your notification reference number
- actions taken by staff and managers in response to the enquiry
Report the start or conclusion of a child protection enquiry