Utah Child Fatality Review Committee

In the early 1990s, professionals from various disciplines recommended the formation of the Utah Child Fatality Review Committee (CFRC). They realized a multi-disciplinary team could be of great value in:

1. accessing available resources to ensure that all child deaths receive a thorough investigation;
2. identifying preventable deaths, and;
3. identifying interventions that may have prevented the child’s death and may prevent future deaths.

The Committee was formed in late 1992 under the auspices of the Utah Department of Health. Coordination of the committee is through the Utah Department of Health’s Violence and Injury Prevention Program. The formation of the CFRC brought together diverse agencies and organizations that serve Utah children and families. The committee gives members a forum to share information to better understand how and why a child has died. It is this coordination that improves the process of thoroughly and professionally reviewing child deaths in Utah. The committee published its first Child Fatality Review Report in 2003.

Purpose

The purpose of the Utah CFRC is to gain a better understanding of child fatalities to help reduce the number of preventable child deaths.

1. Identify and describe the prevalence of risk factors among deceased children.
2. Identify and describe the trends and patterns of child deaths in Utah.
3. Identify and describe service systems' responses (medical, human services, law enforcement) to high-risk children.
4. Make policy recommendations that will improve the service systems to better meet the needs of families.
5. Identify and describe preventive strategies in order to reduce the number of child deaths.
6. Identify and describe strategies that will improve quality of care for children and families.
7. Maximize resources through collaboration.
8. Identify and describe the accuracy and completeness of death certificates.
9. Assure that complete and thorough investigations are performed on all child deaths.
10. Improve communication among various agencies.

Committee Membership

Utah’s Child Fatality Review Committee includes representatives from the following agencies:

• Utah Department of Health
• Violence and Injury Prevention Program
• Office of the Medical Examiner
• Bureau of Vital Records
• Emergency Medical Services
• Reproductive Health
• Department of Human Services
• Division of Mental Health
• Division of Child and Family Services
• Office of Administrative Support
• Salt Lake City Police Department
• Valley Mental Health
• Utah State Office of Education
• Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office
• Intermountain Primary Children’s Medical Center
• Utah Attorney General’s Office, Child Protection Unit
• Administrative Office of the Courts
• Juvenile Justice
• Utah law enforcement agencies

Periodically, other members are invited to attend reviews if they are involved in a case. These include representatives from support services, day care centers, and child advocacy centers.

Please contact us for more information.