Office of Child Fatality Prevention

Local Teams are multidisciplinary groups in all 100 counties. They must review child deaths in nine specific categories. They can also look into deaths outside these categories. Child maltreatment deaths, along with those involving child protective services, get “escalated” reviews. Local Teams lead these reviews, with help from the State Office of Child Fatality Prevention and local social services agencies.

Teams use a data system to track insights from reviews. This helps analyze child deaths at local and state levels. Teams share reports with local leaders and the State Office. These reports contain aggregate information. They also implement prevention initiatives in their communities. Teams get help from the State Office. They also get support and record-keeping help from local health departments and social services agencies. This type of work started in 1991. Since then, team structure and responsibilities have changed.

The State Office, part of the NCDHHS Division of Public Health, coordinates the Child Fatality Prevention System across the state. Staff here train, guide and support Local Teams. They also offer extra help with child maltreatment cases. They manage and analyze data from Local Team reviews and other sources. Then, they report this aggregated information. They share different types of information with the Child Fatality Task Force. This includes overall findings and suggestions from Local Teams. They also take part in other efforts to prevent child fatalities. The State Office was created by 2023 legislation.

The North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force has 36 members. This group includes state agency leaders, 10 legislators, community leaders and experts in child health and safety. The Task Force has an executive director based in the Office of the Secretary for NCDHHS. The Task Force looks at data on child deaths and ways to prevent them. It does not examine individual cases.

The Task Force learns about issues related to child deaths from different experts. It gets reports from the State Office of Child Fatality Prevention. These reports include information from Local Team reviews and other sources. The Task Force uses the information it learns to make recommendations for:

• Changes in the law
• Other actions to prevent child deaths and support healthy children

The Task Force sends reports to state legislators, the governor and other leaders. These reports share:

• Recommendations of the Task Force
• Child death data
• Updates on how the child fatality prevention system works

The Task Force was created by state statute in 1991. 

More information: North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force

Medical Examiner Child Fatality Staff work in the NC Chief Medical Examiner's Office. They investigate child deaths that fall under medical examiner jurisdiction. They work with the child fatality prevention system. They provide medical examiner reports for child death reviews. They also train law enforcement on child death investigations.

More information: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

Internal reviews by NC DSS, or Child Fatality Practice Reviews, happen:

• When a child dies during an open welfare case.
• If a child had services in the last 12 months. This includes Assessments, In-Home Services or Permanency Planning.

These reviews happen quickly after a child dies. Their goal is to check if North Carolina's policies and rules are followed. They also look for any problems or trends in the local child welfare agency. This helps ensure children's safety in that county.

The Child Fatality Practice Review presents a summary of findings and recommendations. This is shared with the State Office of Child Fatality Prevention and local child welfare agency. The report will help the Local Team review the maltreatment fatality. It should be used with input from other community stakeholders. This will guide recommendations for service and system changes.

Citizen Review Panels (CRPs) are required by federal law. Also, state law mandates them under 2023 legislation. Federal law requires each state to have at least 3 CRPs. It also outlines the purpose and expectations for these programs. These guidelines are included in North Carolina's CRP laws. A CRP aims to assess how well the State meets its child protection duties under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. It looks at the policies, procedures and practices of state and local child protection agencies. When needed, it also reviews specific cases, including child fatalities.

NCDHHS is working to set up a new structure for Citizen Review Panels in North Carolina. This will follow the state's new law on CRPs.