WORKING TOGETHER TO PREVENT CHILD FATALITIES: COLLABORATION AMONG REVIEW TEAMS, CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES, AND COMMUNITIES David P. Kelly, J.D., M.A. Administration

WORKING TOGETHER TO PREVENT CHILD FATALITIES: COLLABORATION AMONG REVIEW TEAMS, CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES, AND COMMUNITIES

David P. Kelly, J.D., M.A.

Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau

Ying-Ying Yuan, Ph.D.

Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc.

Teri Covington, M.P.H.

National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths

Liz Oppenheim, J.D.

Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc.

Examining Child Fatality Reviews and Cross-System Fatality Reviews to Promote the Safety of Children and Youth at Risk

• Funded by the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau

• 9/26/2011 through 9/25/2012

• Contract Number: HHSP23320095656WC

Working Together to Prevent Child Fatalities: Collaboration Among Review Teams, Child Welfare Agencies, and Communities 2

Overview of Presentation• Study Purpose

• Identify promising practices for fatality reviews and furthering collaboration among reviews

• Methods• Literature Review• Review of Recommendations and Outcomes• Site Visits/Telephone Interviews• National Meeting

• What Do Fatality Statistics Tell Us?• Fatality Review Structures & Processes• Fatality Review Recommendations• Summary

Working Together to Prevent Child Fatalities: Collaboration Among Review Teams, Child Welfare Agencies, and Communities3

What Do Fatality Statistics Tell Us?

• Several data sources for national statistics

• Vital Statistics• National Resource Center for the Review and Prevention of Child

Deaths• National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)

• Children younger than 1 and 1-4 are at highest risk


Child Mortality Has Decreased Dramatically for 1- 4 Year Olds1

• Overall death rate has consistently downward trend• 1,419 deaths per 100,000 in 1907• 28.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2007

• Homicide rate increased between 1970-2007 by 26% (points in time)

• Homicide percentages increased from 2% to 8%

• Racial/ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic disparities continue• Black children 50% higher mortality risk than White

counterparts and socioeconomic disparities increasing1Singh G.K. (2010). Child Mortality in the United States, 1935-2007: Large Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities Have Persisted Over Time. A 75th Anniversary Publication. Health

Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services. Available from:

http://www.hrsa.gov/healthit/images/mchb_child_mortality_pub.pdf


Leading Causes of Death for 1- 4 Year Olds, 2007 (Singh, 2010)

• Unintentional injuries: 34%• 1/3 of these relate to motor vehicle accidents

• Birth defects: 12%• Homicides: 8%• Diseases:

• Cancer: 8%• Heart Disease: 4%• Less than 2%

• Pneumonia: 2%• Septicemia: 2%• Perinatal conditions: <2%• Benign Neoplasms: 1%• COPD: 1%

• Other causes: 27%


Infant mortality rate is at an all time low:

6.39 infants deaths per 1,000 live births

Background on a Review of Selected RecordsNCDR-CRS

• 34,000 records of deaths of children between 0-5 years of age were reviewed from 36 States• A subset of the 49,000 records (2008-2011)

• Using a very broad definition of CAN related, 13% or 4,500 deaths were CAN-related

• The data are from 36 States but may not be all deaths in all years from each State.


Causes of Death Related to CAN

• More than half of deaths from assault or drowning had a relationship to CAN

• 78% of deaths from assault (including use of weapons) • 53% of deaths from drowning

• A third to a fifth of deaths from burns, asphxia, and motor vehicles were considered CAN related

• 33% of deaths from fire and burns • 25% of deaths from asphxia• 20% of deaths from motor vehicles

• Smaller percentages for other causes of death• 11% from SIDS• 2% from perinatal causes (prematurity, LBW etc.)


CHILD MALTREAT-

MENT FATALITY RATES,

NCANDS, 2002–2010


• The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System:• collects data from all States on the CPS investigation or assessment of alleged maltreatment,

including deaths• 11,600 fatalities are in the case level database from 2002-2012.

• The majority of the information is provided at the case level, but many States report on additional deaths.

NCANDS

Child Maltreatment Fatalities, NCANDS

• Number of child fatalities due to maltreatment has fluctuated during the past 5 years; since 2007 on a decrease

• Explanations included system improvements that reduced case

backlog and successful prevention programs.


Child Maltreatment Fatalities by Age, NCANDS,2010

N=44 States (unique count)


Race of 0 and 1-4 Fatality CohortsRace of Age, 0 Race of Age, 1-4


Maltreatment Types of 0 and 1-4 Fatality Cohorts, NCANDS, 2010

• Maltreatment Types of Age, 0

• Maltreatment Types of Age, 1-4


Perpetrator Relationship of 0 and 1-4 Fatality CohortsPerpetrator Relationship Age, 0 Perpetrator Relationship Age,1-4


Summary

• Child fatalities due to abuse and neglect can be understood within a context of all deaths of young children

• Social and community decisions contribute to the definitions of child abuse and neglect deaths

• We seek to reduce child fatalities through• Better identification of causes and factors leading to death• More targeted prevention programs• Involvement of all sectors of society


Fatality Review Structures & Processes

• The web of reviews• Shared perspectives• Fatality review structures

and processes• Collaboration for improving

administration and processes


The Web of Reviews• 50 States and the District of Columbia have an active

CDR program (at the State and/or local or regional level)

• 17 States use their CDR team as the citizen review panel for review of fatalities

• Many child welfare agencies conduct internal child fatality reviews

• 200 Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) programs in 40 States

• 144 Domestic Violence Fatality Review (DVFR) teams at the State and local level


Background

CRP

State/Local/RegionalCDR

Internal Agency

DVRFIMR


The Web of Reviews

Shared Perspectives

• Deaths and serious injuries are sentinel events: markers for the health and safety of people.

• Environmental, social, economic, health and behavioral factors impact the death or injury.

• These factors are so multidimensional that responsibility for a death or injury doesn’t belong to any one agency or organization.

• Reviews focus on what went wrong and how can we fix it, not who is at fault and who should we blame.

• The best reviews are multi-disciplinary.


Fatality Review Structures & Processes

• Membership• All are multidisciplinary• May not always have all the needed representatives

• Administrative Homes• Many different administrative homes

• Data collection• All team processes include data collection activities• For some teams, legislation provides access to needed information• Some teams rely on information brought to reviews by team

members• Some teams conduct interviews with family members


Benefits of Collaboration

• Legislative support • More cases• More information • More knowledge about agencies• Existing multidisciplinary team• More resources• Near fatalities• Access to citizen participation• Coordinated prevention


Strategies for Collaboration

• Administrative home• Membership• Case identification• Data collection• Joint meetings• Cross pollination/communication• Identification of cross-cutting issues• Joint training• Develop joint recommendations


Fatality Review Recommendations

Findings

•Types of recommendations made•Implementation of recommendations•Results•Writing effective recommendations


Prevalence and Types of Recommendations

• Most of the recommendations were for:• increasing public awareness and education • improving policies and legislation• strengthening organizational capacity

• Agency, persons, or organizations often not identified

• Many global statements indicating that parents should make specific changes in behavior or that communities should provide particular supports or services



• No mention of collaboration to enhance injury prevention

• CDR and FIMR teams made recommendations regarding SIDS

• DVFR teams acknowledged the impact of DV on children

• All teams acknowledged that collaboration among many agencies and providers was necessary in order to effectively implement recommendations



• CAN Related Recommendations

• 78.8 % of the recommendations pertained to some type of educational activity

• 28.5 % of the recommendations were for parent education

• Non-CAN Related Recommendations

• 78.8 % of the recommendations pertained to some type of educational activity

• 27.5 % of the recommendations were for parent education


• Commitment to prevention• Each team member must commit to use review information to educate

their own agencies and advocate for needed changes

• Dissemination strategies• Disseminate reports far and wide • Select the right messenger(s)• Work with the media• Make in-person presentations

• Increasing Likelihood of Implementation• Include people with authority to effect change• Conduct advocacy with legislators and elected officials• Implement a separate Community Action Team (CAT)• Develop memoranda of understanding regarding next steps


Implementation of Recommendations

Results of Fatality Review Team Recommendations

• Improved interagency communication• Numerous strategies to promote public awareness

and education• Prevention strategies focused on high risk

populations• Strengthened organizational capacity • Changes in policy and legislation• Improved service delivery


Writing Effective Recommendations

• Assessment of the Problem• Describe particular risks or protective factors• Include information on best and promising practices• Discuss current efforts, resources, and capacity

• Process• Develop or review recommendations with agencies identified

to implement them• Prioritize recommendations

• Recommendation • Discuss the primary outcome sought• Tie recommendations to specific findings• Indentify the agency, persons, or organizations• Identify target population• Include detailed plan of action


Strategies for Collaboration

• Develop an integrated database of fatality review findings and recommendations

• Assessing risk factors• Identify shared prevention strategies• Develop joint training• Share information about best and promising

practices• Hold joint meetings to create/share findings

and recommendations• Develop joint reports


Summary• A lot of time, effort, and hard work is being dedicated to

conducting fatality reviews.

• There are a number of creative and effective strategies in place for effective review meetings and collaboration among reviews.

• Many of the recommendations of fatality review teams have resulted in increased public awareness and education.

• Improvements in organizational capacity, improved practice and policy, and new legislation.

• There is a lot to learn from one another about improving review processes, recommendations and outcomes.


Resource Center Websites

• National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare• http://www.ncsacw.samsha.gov

• National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement

• http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/helpkids/index.htm

• National Child Welfare Workforce Institute• http://www.ncwwi.org/

• National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative• http://www.ndvfri.org/


Resource Center Websites (continued)

• National Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Program• http://www.nfimr.org

• National Resource Center for Child Protective Services • http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/neccps.htm

• National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Fatalities• http://childdeathreview.org/

• National Citizens Review Panel Virtual Community• http://www.uky.edu/SocialWork/crp/


Contact Information • David P. Kelly, J.D., M.A.

[email protected]

• Ying-Ying Yuan, [email protected]

• Teri Covington, [email protected]

• Liz Oppenheim, [email protected]


Documents

WORKING TOGETHER TO PREVENT CHILD FATALITIES: COLLABORATION AMONG REVIEW TEAMS, CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES, AND COMMUNITIES David P. Kelly, J.D., M.A. Administration