Why Jason Died is a drama intended to familiarise key professionals and their managers with the processes to be followed when a child dies: to provide information and to stimulate discussion.

Target Audience

Why Jason Died was developed for a range of professional audiences. It focuses on the roles and responsibilities of those who are responding to an unexpected death of a child, and includes information about the roles of LSCBs and overview panels. More in-depth training will be required by those who will have key roles in either responding to or reviewing information about the deaths of children.

Health Warning

Viewers may find some scenes distressing. It is therefore recommended that Why Jason Died is viewed with a colleague or a group of colleagues. Also that a manager or designated professional is identified who is well placed to provide support as necessary.

The Actors

Everyone taking part in this drama plays themselves. Only Jason’s mother and grandmother are played by actors.

View Online

It can be viewed online (see below), divided into seven short chapters.

You may also wish to view Why Jason Died DVD Book which answers questions that may be raised in the course of watching this drama.

Role of Local Safeguarding Children Boards

Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) are required, from 1 April 2008, to review all child deaths in their local authority area (or areas where more than one LSCB is jointly undertaking this task), and to have in place processes to respond to, enquire into and evaluate each unexpected death to provide an understanding of the reasons for it.

Policy Background

The introduction of the new child death review processes was signaled in the Government’s response to the Victoria Climbié Inquiry Report (2003) and the Green Paper Every Child Matters (2003). One of the functions of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) set out in Regulation 6 (SI No 2006/90) is to undertake the reviewing of all child deaths in their area. Chapter 5 in Working Together 2015 sets out the guidance to be followed by LSCBs.