Texans can dial 2-1-1 (option 6) for information on COVID-19 and local community resources on health care, utilities, food, housing and more. Wait times are currently higher than normal. Visit Health and Human Services for
more COVID-19 information.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in monitoring the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) that is causing an outbreak of respiratory illness worldwide.
DSHS COVID-19 Info
About Texas Child Fatality Review
In 1995, Texas law
makers formed the State Child Fatality Review Team (SCFRT) Committee. Counties could form local and regional Child Fatality
Review Teams (CFRTs) as well. Senate Bill 6, page 61
amended sections of the Family Code Chapter 264 Subchapter
F. The law moved support and coordination of CFRTs from the Department of
Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to the Department of State Health
Services (DSHS).
The Office of Injury
Prevention facilitates the SCFRT Committee. The committee works with local
CFRTs to provide recommendations about injury prevention activities. These
include drowning prevention and motor vehicle safety. Committee recommendations
relate to:
- Modifying current legislation,
- Increasing public education, and
- Determining feasibility of strengthening systems.
This committee reports child fatality data collected by local
CFRTs. The committee submits CFRT data and recommendations to the Texas Legislature.
The report is due no later than April 1 of each even-numbered year. The
committee also submits recommendations to the DFPS child safety review
subcommittee.
State Child Fatality Review
Team Committee
Child fatality review teams
National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention
National child fatality review resources
Reports, protocols, and guidelines
State
Child Fatality Review Team Committee
The State Child Fatality Review Team (SCFRT) Committee is
a group of experts (PDF) throughout Texas. They want to reduce the number of
preventable child deaths. The committee has four goals:
- Understand the causes and incidences of child death in Texas;
- Identify procedures to reduce the number of preventable child
deaths;
- Promote public awareness; and
- Make recommendations for changes in law, policy, and practice.
These changes will reduce the number of preventable child deaths.
For more information, please visit the SCFRT website.
Child Fatality Review Teams
Local Child Fatality Review Teams (CFRTs) are working groups of
community partners. They review child deaths on a local level from a public
health perspective. Reviewing a child’s death helps identify strategies to
decrease preventable child deaths. Local CFRTs:
- Provide help, direction, and
coordination to investigations of child deaths;
- Promote collaboration among
agencies involved in responding to child fatalities;
- Try to understand the causes
and incidence of child deaths in their county or counties;
- Recommend changes to policy or
procedures that will reduce preventable deaths; and,
- Suggest changes to law, policy,
or practice to the SCFRT.
Texas CFRTs (PDF) vary in size
and the number of counties for which they review child deaths. Some teams
review deaths for only one county. Regional teams review deaths for two or more
counties. The largest number of counties a single Texas team covers is 26.
Texas
seeks to have CFRTs in all parts of Texas. See the coverage on the Texas Map (PDF). Contact cfrt@dshs.texas.gov
to learn more about child fatality
review efforts in your area.
CFRT Resources
The National Center for Fatality Review and
Prevention (National Center) is the technical support and data center. They
assist child death review (CDR) and fetal and infant mortality review (FIMR)
programs throughout the U.S.
The National Center provides web-based training modules on
fatality review. Training modules focus on process work such as:
- Fetal and Infant
Mortality Review 101
- Child Death
Review 101
- Conducting
maternal interviews
Others cover best practices such as:
- Facilitating
successful fatality review meetings,
- Improving child
fatality review data quality
- Writing
recommendations
The National Center also hosts webinars and
provides written products to assist CFRTs.
National
Center Resources
Contact Us
Texas Department of State Health Services
Maternal & Child Health
PO Box 149347, Mail Code 1922
Austin, TX 78714-9347
(512) 776-7373: Phone
(512) 458-7658: Fax
cfrt@dshs.texas.gov
The Texas Department of State Health Services does not endorse
external links to other websites. These links are informational and may not be
accessible to persons with disabilities.