Interim DirectorBobby Cagle

Georgia Division of Family and Children

Services

2013 Child Fatality Analysis

Purpose: 2013 Child Fatality Analysis

The 2013 Child Fatality Analysis is the second such annual report DFCS has released on deaths of children whose families had prior contact with the agency.

Purpose•Provide information over and above the federal requirements for states to review and analyze child fatalities*, and offer additional insight on a population with previously reported or identified risks of abuse and/or neglect. •Aid the agency and the public in improving intervention efforts and developing community-based solutions to reduce the risk of harm to Georgia’s children.

*Per 42 U.S. C. Sec. 5106a(b)(2)(B)(x) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.

Methodology: 2013 Child Fatality Analysis

How this report was compiled:

•Child deaths that occurred between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013 were reported to DFCS by local Child Fatality Review committees, employees of local DFCS offices or other external partners, including law enforcement and medical personnel.

•Data was compiled and reviewed in June and July of 2014 in an effort to provide a more complete picture of deaths that occurred late in 2013*.

•Report details child deaths by age, time, location, manner and cause, as well as information on agency involvement.

*The Division’s 2012 Child Death Report was completed during the first three months of 2013 when data elements for some deaths were not available.

Methodology: 2013 Child Fatality Analysis

Who is included in this report:

•All children included in this report were members of families that came into contact with child protective services within the last five years.

Overview: DFCS involvement

Overview: DFCS involvement

Georgia DFCS response in 2013:

•76,995 reports to agency intake line.

•54,101 cases assigned for follow up.

•13,067 children in DFCS custody at some point in the year.

•6,057 families involved in preservation cases.

Fatalities: Prior DFCS Involvement

Fatalities: Manner of death

Percentages cover 180 reported deaths with DFCS history in 2013 and 152 reported deaths with DFCS history in 2013.

Fatalities: Prior DFCS Involvement

Children under the age of one make up 48 percent of all child deaths with DFCS history in 2013.

Fatalities: Children under the age of 1

In 2013, there were 42 sleep-related deaths for children younger than 12 months old.•(26) deaths categorized as undetermined•(9) deaths categorized as natural•(7) deaths categorized as accidental

This accounts for 23% of all deaths in 2013, and nearly half of deaths for children under the age of one.

Fatalities: Substance abuse

43 percent of child fatalities with DFCS history in 2013 involved previous allegations of a caretaker’s drug use.

Conclusion: Agency goals for future reports

The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services seeks to work with stakeholders to learn from every child fatality and improve intervention efforts.

•In 2014, the Division will continue to enhance data collection methods and improve collaborations with law enforcement and other community agencies to develop a more consistent protocol for making DFCS aware of child deaths and target agency intervention efforts.

•Through in-depth analyses of child deaths with identified maltreatment, we can target changes to policy and practice that reduce the risk of harm to children, and provide staff with the tools they need to appropriately assess child safety and respond to reports of child maltreatment.

Understanding factors that increase risks for children