Report a serious incident in a residential holiday scheme for disabled children
Tell Ofsted about a serious incident in a residential holiday scheme.
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 a report.
What incidents to report
Residential holiday schemes for disabled children must report the following incidents (sometimes called incident ‘notifications’ or ‘events’) to Ofsted:
- the death of a child accommodated by the scheme
- you have reported someone working for the scheme to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
- a resident child has a serious illness or accident
- an infectious disease that a registered medical practitioner considers serious enough to report to their local council or local health protection team
- you know or suspect a resident child is involved or subject to sexual exploitation
- a serious incident that requires the police to attend the scheme
- a serious complaint about the scheme or an employee
- a child protection enquiry involving a child accommodated by the scheme has started or concluded
Residential holiday schemes must also report some incidents that occur after the holiday, for example, a significant illness that may be linked to the child’s attendance at the holiday, or a child protection enquiry that may be related to the child’s time on the holiday.
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
Residential holiday schemes for disabled children must report incidents using the printable form.
The form will ask you for the following information:
- 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 details and the details for your service and relevant members of staff
- when and where the incident happened
- the details of any child involved and the initials of all staff involved
- 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.
Download and complete the PDF form and post this to Ofsted.
Report an incident in a different children’s social care service
Death of a child accommodated by the scheme
You must use the serious incident reporting form to report the death of a child to Ofsted without delay.
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 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)
- the actions taken by staff and managers at the time
- the manager’s evaluation of the incident and actions taken
Report the death of a child accommodated by the scheme
Safeguarding referrals
Use the serious incident reporting form if you have reported someone to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) as unfit to work with children or vulnerable adults.
Residential holiday schemes must report if someone working there has been referred to the Secretary of State under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
Telling Ofsted about a safeguarding referral
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
- the actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures
- the manager’s evaluation of the incident and actions taken
Report a safeguarding referral
Serious illness, serious accident and injury or serious infectious disease
Residential holiday schemes for disabled children need to report serious illness or an accident that leads to serious injury to a child accommodated in the scheme.
A serious illness or injury usually means that a child needs medical treatment (other than basic first aid) onsite 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 onsite
- 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 residential holiday scheme to the local council or health protection team, you must report this as a serious incident.
Telling Ofsted about serious illness, accident and injury, or infectious disease
To report illness, injury or infectious disease, select the option “Other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious” on the form.
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
- the actions taken by staff and managers at the time
- the manager’s evaluation of the incident and actions taken
Report serious illness, injury or infectious disease
Known or suspected sexual exploitation
Residential holiday schemes must use the serious incident reporting form to tell Ofsted if you know, or suspect, that a child has been involved in, or subject to, sexual exploitation.
Telling Ofsted about known or suspected sexual 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 led you to believe that the child has been sexually exploited
- actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures
- the manager’s evaluation of the incident and actions taken
Report known or suspected sexual exploitation
Police attendance at the residential holiday scheme
Residential holiday schemes should use the serious incident reporting form to tell us if a serious incident required calling the police to the scheme.
You should only report this if the police needed to attend the scheme for a serious incident. You do not need to send a serious incident report just because you are in contact with the police about an incident.
Telling Ofsted about police involvement
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 actions or investigations
- the actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures
- the manager’s evaluation of the incident and actions taken
Allegations of abuse or complaints
Residential holiday schemes must use the reporting form if any allegation of abuse or serious complaint is made against your service or a member of staff.
Telling Ofsted about allegations of abuse or complaints
The reporting form will ask you to provide details of the incident. You should include:
- a summary of the allegation or complaint
- the actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures
- the manager’s evaluation of the incident and actions taken
Report an allegation of abuse or a complaint
Start or end of a child protection enquiry
You must send one serious incident report when a child protection enquiry involving any resident under 18 has started (‘instigated’), and another report when it has finished (‘concluded’).
You must send a report for any enquiry relating to a child accommodated at the scheme during their time there, even if their holiday has finished when the enquiry takes place.
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
- the actions taken by staff and managers at the time and planned prevention measures (if known)
- the manager’s evaluation of the incident and actions taken
If you’re reporting that an enquiry has concluded, 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