NCJ Number
188392
Editor(s)
Joann Grayson
Date Published
2000
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This issue of the Virginia Child Protection Newsletter presents U.S. national data on child fatalities for 1997, profiles the work of Virginia's Child Fatality Review Teams as well as other State child Fatality Review Teams, and discusses investigation procedures for child fatalities.
Abstract
Data on child fatalities showed the rate of deaths from all causes among children under 15 years old between 1996 and 1997. The report presented statistics on child fatality causes, child abuse fatalities (a decrease since 1990), demographics/profiles of child victims who died due to abuse and neglect, infanticides, and fatalities of older children. The report concludes with a discussion of prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. The article on Virginia's Child Fatality Review Teams updated information on the State team, as well as information on three local teams. The mandated purpose of the State team as outlined in legislation was to develop and revise as necessary operating procedures for the review of child deaths, including identification of deaths to be reviewed and procedures for coordination among the agencies and professionals involved; to improve the identification, data collection, and record keeping on the causes of child deaths; recommend components for education and prevention programs; recommend training to improve the investigation of child deaths; and provide technical assistance, upon request, to any local child fatality teams. The status of other State Child Fatality Review Teams is reported for Missouri, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, Georgia, California, Vermont, Texas, and Connecticut. An article on investigation procedures considers State guidelines for serious injury/child death investigations and guidelines for death scene investigations of sudden, unexplained infant deaths.