The child death review (CDR) process covers children up to the age of 18. A child death review must be carried out for all children regardless of the cause of death.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 says that:
- CDR partners must make arrangements for the analysis of information from all deaths reviewed
- CDR partners must publish their arrangements for child death
CDR partners make arrangements to review all deaths of children normally resident in the local area. Also, if appropriate, for any non-resident child who has died in their area.
CDR arrangements
Local authorities and clinical commissioning groups may agree that their areas be treated as a single area for this purpose. South west CDR partners cover:
- Devon (including Plymouth and Torbay)
- Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Partners responsible for Child Death Review across this geographical area are:
- Cornwall Council
- Council of the Isles of Scilly
- Devon County Council
- Plymouth City Council
- Torbay Council
- NHS Devon
- NHS Cornwall
These arrangements ensure that all requirements set out in CDR statutory and operational guidance are met. This includes the functions of the Child Death Overview Panel responsibilities and membership and a geographical area large enough to ensure the review of a minimum of 60 deaths per year.
Purpose of the arrangements
The south west CDR partners understand that the death of a child is a devastating loss that profoundly affects bereaved parents as well as siblings, grandparents, extended family, friends and professionals who were involved in caring for the child. It also impacts on the wider community.
The partners' intention is to ensure that families experiencing such a tragedy within the south west peninsula are met with empathy and compassion. Families will receive clear and sensitive communication in order to understand what happened to their child and know that people will learn from what happened.
The CDR partners understand the statutory obligations placed upon them and others. All agencies commissioned by the partners, and involved in the CDR process, will work together throughout the process. This is for two main reasons:
-
To improve the experience of bereaved families, as well as professionals, after the death of a child
-
To ensure that information from the CDR process is recorded to:
-
- enable local learning
- identify learning at national level, through the planned National Child Mortality Database
- inform changes in policy and practice at a regional and local level
Members of the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) pledge to ensure that the child and family will remain at the centre of the final discussion. The process of reviewing all child deaths within the south west peninsula will always be grounded in a deep respect for the rights of children and their families.
Funding arrangements
CDR partners have financial arrangements in place to fund arrangements across the area.
Accountable Officials
Each organisation has named accountable officials for Child Death Review. In Cornwall these are:
|
Organisation |
Position |
Named person |
|---|---|---|
|
Cornwall Council |
Service Director | Children and Families |
Ben Davies |
|
NHS Kernow CCG |
Chief Nursing Officer |
Susan Bracefield |
Designated Doctor
The designated doctor for child deaths across the South West peninsula is Dr Helen Channer.
Other sources of information
This information should be read alongside the South West Peninsula Child Death Review arrangements flowchart.
Relevant legislation and guidance for child death review is as follows:
- Children Act 2004
- Children and Social Work act 2017
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
- Sudden and Unexpected Death in Infancy and Childhood: multiagency guidelines for care and investigation (2016)
- Child death review: statutory and operational guidance (England)
- Working together transitional guidance