Miscellaneous

  What is the purpose of the Child Mortality Review Board?

In 1989 Minnesota Statutes, section 256.01 subdivisions 12 placed the responsibility for reviewing deaths under the Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Human Services to strengthen the state's effort at protecting children and preventing future child deaths.

How many cases per year does the board review?

Total cases in 2008: 47
Homicide: 20
Unexpected Infant death: 8
Accident: 13
Suicide: 6

What are the criteria for getting a case reviewed?

The criteria for the local and state child mortality review is described in DHS Bulletin # 08-68-02

A local child mortality review must be conducted when:

• The death of a child resulted from maltreatment or suspected maltreatment.
• A child has experienced near-fatal child maltreatment. (Near- fatalities are defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 626.556, subdivision 11d, as cases in which a physician determines that a child is in serious or critical condition as the result of sickness or injury caused by suspected abuse, neglect or maltreatment.)
• The death or incident leading to a death or near-fatal injury occurred in a facility licensed by the department (including child care, foster care, shelter care, group homes and residential treatment facilities) when the manner of death is not classified as natural on the death certificate.

A local review is also required when the manner of death was classified on the death certificate as one of the following:

• homicide
• suicide
• accident
• cannot be determined
• natural with a diagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (also known as SIDS, Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death)

And the child or any member of the child's family received social services or an assessment from the local social services agency at the time of the death or within one year prior to the death.

What is the process for a case review:

Minnesota conducts two reviews for child deaths that meet the criteria. The first review is conducted by the county where the child resided; the second review is conducted by the state mortality review panel. All 87 counties have a multidisciplinary review team that includes representatives from social service, law enforcement, public health, county attorney and medical expertise that examines child deaths and near fatalities of children in their county. The state panel review team consists of professionals from the same areas as the county team and includes other experts within the child welfare system. Members of the state panel team are appointed by the Commissioner of Human Services.
County Mortality Review:
At the county review team meeting members of the team discuss and evaluate the social service involvement, the medical findings, autopsy results, law enforcement investigation and legal outcomes of the case. The purpose of the county review is to asses the effectiveness the services provided to the family, enhance the coordination and communication among the professionals involved with the family prior to and as a result of the death and develop recommendations to prevent future deaths.
State Mortality Review:
The state mortality review panel is a multidisciplinary panel of experts that reviews and analyzes the reports of the local mortality review team and compiles the data on an aggregate level. The focus of the state panel is to review cases with similar characteristics to examine systemic issues, identify emerging patterns causing children's deaths, evaluate the system's responses to child fatalities and develop recommendation for prevention.

How are the results of the reviews used?

The information from the local and state review is used to collect aggregate data to identify and analyze the causes and risks factors in child deaths/near fatalities and develop prevention efforts. The information is also used for the annual report.

What, if any, information on this case is public? And who is it available from?

Minnesota Statute section 626.556, subdivision 11d: Information requests regarding the findings and information from the local review should be directed to the county that conducted the local review.

What online resources are available to people interested in learning more about the Child Mortality Review Board?

The most recent data report regarding child mortality reviews is the 2003/2004 report. A multi-year report for the years 2005 through 2008 is expected to be released early in 2010.