The Chair of the Panel is responsible for
- Chairing the CDOP meetings, encouraging all members to participate appropriately;
- Ensuring that all statutory requirements are met
- Maintaining a focus on preventive work;
- Facilitating resolution of agency disputes; and
- Ensuring that the child death review process operates effectively
A designated person is the person in the LSCB to whom notifications of deaths should be sent. This is usually the LSCB Manager. The designated person is responsible for
- The smooth running of all child death processes
- Ensuring and monitoring the effective running of the notification, data collection and storage systems
- Determining meeting dates and sending meeting notices to Panel member
- Compiling the summary sheet of child deaths to be reviewed and distributed to team members two weeks prior to each meeting
- Selecting, in consultation with the CDOP Chair, cases for in-depth review
- Ensuring that notifications of child deaths are available for Panel review
- Ensuring that new members receive an orientation to the panel prior to their first meeting;
- Ensuring that all new CDOP members, ad hoc members and observers sign a confidentiality agreement;
- Encouraging the sharing of information for effective case review
- Compiling and disseminating notes from each CDOP meeting
- Completing and submitting an annual report to the LSCB
- Monitor the outcome of recommendations and prevention activities
The public health representative can:
- Provide the panel with information on epidemiological and health surveillance data;
- Assist the panel in strategies for data collection and analysis;
- Assist the panel in evaluating patterns and trends in relation to child deaths and in learning lessons for preventive work;
- Inform the panel of public health initiatives to support child health; and
- Advise the panel on the development and implementation of public health prevention activities and programmes.
A designated paediatrician is the paediatrician responsible for unexpected deaths of children in the local authority area. Actions assigned to the designated paediatrician for child death may be delegated to a nominated senior healthcare professional unless specifically stated otherwise. The designated paediatrician, following consultation with the lead clinician, is responsible for making the final decision on whether a death is unexpected. Their role includes:
- Leading the co-ordination of multi-agency activity and information sharing throughout the rapid response process;
- Ensuring all agencies are notified of the death and actions are agreed
- Ensuring a case discussion or meeting takes place, normally within 5-7 days of the death
- Ensuring a formal case discussion meeting takes place, normally 8-12 weeks following the death
- Ensuring that a full and accurate report is provided to the Local Safeguarding Children Board’s Child Death Overview Panel and to the coroner
The paediatrician and community health representative can:
- Provide the panel with information on the health of the child and other family members, including any general health issues, child development, and health services provided to the child or family
- Help the panel interpret medical information relating to the child’s death, including offering opinions on medical evidence; providing a medical explanation and interpretation of the circumstances surrounding a child’s death
- Assist with interpreting the autopsy findings and results of medical investigations
- Advise the panel on medical issues including child injuries and causes of child deaths, medical terminology, concepts and practices
- Provide feedback and support to medical practitioners involved in individual case management; and
- Liaise with other health professionals and agencies.
The police representative can:
- Provide the panel with information on the status of any criminal investigation
- Provide the panel with information on the criminal histories of family members and suspects
- Identify cases that may require a further police investigation
- Provide the panel with expertise on law enforcement practices, including investigations, interviews and evidence collection
- Help the panel evaluate any issues of public risk arising out of the review of individual deaths;
- Liaise with other police departments and the Crown Prosecution Service; and
- Feedback to police officers involved in individual case management
The children’s social care representative can:
- Provide the panel with information on any social care involvement with the child and family, including any child protection concerns
- Help the panel to evaluate issues relating to the family and social environment and circumstances surrounding the death
- Advise the panel on children’s rights and welfare, and on appropriate legislation and guidance relating to children
- Identify cases that may require a further child protection investigation or a serious case review
- Liaise with other local authority services; and
- Provide feedback to social workers and other local authority staff involved in individual case management
Child Death Overview Panel members will not disclose any information pertaining to any individual case which has been dealt with by the Child Death Overview Panel outside the meeting, other than pursuant to the mandated agency responsibilities of that individual or for the purposes of joint investigations. Public statements about the general purpose of the child death review process may be made in line with the LSCB process for managing media interest as long as the statement does not identify any specific case.
