Child Death Review Teams

Abstract

'This overview of Child Death Review Teams (CDRTs) in California considers their purposes, membership, selection criteria, and functioning, as well as the role of the California State Child Death Review Council and challenges facing California in the area of child death investigations. CDRTs are multiagency, multidisciplinary State and/or local teams that systematically review child deaths within a specific jurisdiction. They have a critical role in helping to identify fatalities caused by child abuse and neglect, as well as other preventable child deaths. The work of CDRTs have contributed to more accurate identification of child deaths due to child maltreatment, more effective determination of the underlying cause of suspicious deaths, identification of gaps and breakdowns in agencies and systems designed to protect children, and the implementation of various prevention interventions. Core members of the team are the county medical examiner or coroner, law enforcement officers, a representative of Children's Protective Services, a staff member of the District Attorney's Office, and a pediatrician. Recommended minimum criteria for the selection of cases for review are all coroner child death cases and all children under the age of 18. The recommended model program involves the systematic intake and review of cases drawn by protocol from the coroner and/or vital statistics records; peer review that respects confidentiality and the sharing of information across agency lines; and the promotion and implementation of basic or advanced procedures, policies, and prevention programs. The California State Child Death Review Council established under the auspices of the California Department of Justice is composed of representatives from key State agencies and associations; it is mandated to oversee the statewide coordination and integration of State and local efforts to address fatal child abuse and neglect, as well as to create a body of information that can be used to prevent child deaths. Challenges in addressing child deaths are to perform accurate assessments of these deaths, recognize the reality that caretakers murder the children under their care, promote interagency cooperation, focus on the prevention of child deaths, improve data collection, and increase the awareness of grief and mourning issues for surviving siblings. Background information encompasses the causes of child deaths in California for 1996-98 and relevant California data systems. 1 table, 5 references, and 4 Web site addresses' [ncjrs abstract].