National guidance on structured risk assessments
Southport Inquiry · The Southport Inquiry Report: Phase 1 · Issued 13 April 2026 · Addressed to: Department of Health and Social Care
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
Nationally, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England should review:
1. Whether there is a need for further development and guidance including on the thresholds for when complex structured risk assessments (such as the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth) are required for children and young people who present a risk of violence to others. A balance may need to be struck between sufficient provision of guidance to assist as to when the more complex type of structured risk assessment may be justified and retaining the case-specific judgements by professionals that are inevitably required.
2. Whether national guidance is required to ensure clarity about who is responsible for conducting complex structured risk assessments (where they are appropriate) for children and young people who present a risk of violence to others. Consideration should also be given to the roles of children and young people’s mental health services and wider children’s services in conducting or referring for appropriate risk assessments.
Southport Inquiry, The Southport Inquiry Report: Phase 1 · 13 Apr 2026 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
How was this evidence gathered?
Response — verbatim from government
●Department of Health and Social Care
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England are the lead organisations and expect to complete this recommendation by 31 March 2027. Progress and next steps:
- DHSC and NHS England will review whether further development and clearer national guidance is needed on the use of structured risk assessments for children and young people who present a risk of violence to others.
- The review will:
- Consider the current evidence regarding the use of structured risk assessment tools for relevant children and young people.
- Based on this evidence, decide whether further guidance is needed in the use and thresholds for structured risk assessment for these children and young people.
- The role of children and young people's mental health services in conducting or referring for appropriate risk assessments.
- Learning from Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust's work under recommendation 51 will feed into the national review.
Department of Health and Social Care · 2 Jul 2026 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 2 Jul 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care Government response published 2 July 2026 (CP 1623). The government accepted this recommendation; the lead department reports implementation is in progress. Source →
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