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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. Visit our website to learn more.
New NCFRP Guidance:
The National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention is
releasing a guidance document with tips and strategies for reviewing deaths
either directly or indirectly related to
COVID-19. A directly-related death is defined as a death directly
attributable to the virus. Indirectly-related death occurs when unsafe or
unhealthy conditions are present during any phase of a crisis.
We acknowledge the importance of documenting the impact of
the COVID-19 health emergency on fetal, infant, and child mortality. We
hope that this information will help fatality review teams use their findings
from review of such deaths to inform national emergency response efforts
about the needs of infants, children, and families who are directly and
indirectly impacted by future public health emergencies.
A brief webinar has been recorded to highlight the
strategies and to walk teams through this new resource. The recorded
webinar and guidance can be found here: https://www.ncfrp.org/tools_and_resources/archived-webinars-presentations/
Maternal and Child Health’s Office of Injury
Prevention (OIP) - Texas Child Fatality Review 
In 1995, Texas
law makers formed the State Child Fatality Review Team Committee (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. The law moved support and coordination of
CFRTs from the Department of Family and Protective Services to the Department
of State Health Services.
State Child Fatality Review Team Committee
The State
Committee is a group of experts throughout Texas. They want to reduce the number
of preventable child deaths. The Committee has 3 goals:
- Understand the causes and incidence
of child deaths in Texas;
- Identify procedures for agencies to
reduce the number of preventable child deaths; and,
- Promote public awareness and make
recommendations to the governor and the legislature. Changes in law,
policy, and practice can reduce the number of preventable child
deaths.
Child Fatality Review Teams (CFRTs)
Local and
regional 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 State CFRT.
Texas
CFRTs vary in size and
the number of counties for which they review child deaths. Some teams review
deaths for only one county while others review deaths for two or more. The
largest number of counties a single Texas team covers is 26.
Texas seeks to
have Child Fatality Review Teams in all parts of Texas. See the coverage on the
Texas
Map.
Reports, Protocols, and Guidelines
Texas Child Fatality Data and Recommendations - April 2020
Texas Child Fatality Data and Recommendations 2018
(2.15MB, PDF, Viewing
Information)
Texas Child Fatality Review Team Biennial
Report 2014-2015
(7MB, PDF, Viewing Information)
Texas Child Fatality Review Team Annual
Report 2013
(2MB, PDF, Viewing
Information)
Child Fatality Review Team Operating
Procedures
(875Kb, PDF, Viewing
Information)
Sudden Unexplained Infant Death
Investigation Reporting Form
(186Kb, PDF, Viewing
Information)
How to Use the SUIDI Reporting Form
(278Kb, PDF, Viewing
Information)
State Child Fatality Review Team Committee
Position Statements
Preventable Child Abuse and Neglect - 2012
(152 Kb, PDF, Viewing Information)
Substance Abuse Dependence Position
Statement - 2013
(49 Kb, PDF, Viewing Information)
Fire Burn - 2014
(288 Kb, PDF, Viewing Information)
Child Suicide - 2017
(50 Kb, PDF, Viewing Information)
Water Safety - 2012
(274 Kb, PDF, Viewing
Information)
Motor Vehicle Safety - 2012
(163 Kb, PDF, Viewing
Information)
Safe Sleep - 2015
(36 Kb, PDF, Viewing
Information)
Helpful Websites
National MCH Center for Child Death Review
ICAN National Center on Child Fatality Review
National Center for Fatality Review &
Prevention that includes 13 web-based training modules covering various aspects of
fatality review. Half of the training modules focus on process work such as
FIMR 101, CDR 101 and conducting maternal interviews. The other half of the
training modules cover best practices such as facilitating successful meetings,
incorporating health equity into fatality review and writing recommendations.
CDC - Sudden, Unexplained Infant Death
(SUID) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (Includes Sudden Unexpected Infant Death
Investigations (SUIDI), the SUIDI data collection form and SUIDI training
materials.)
National Clearinghouse of Child Abuse and Neglect
Department of Family and Protective
Services, Child Protective Services (CPS)
Shaken Baby Alliance
SIDS Network
For more information on Texas Child Fatality
Review contact:
Office of Injury Prevention
Child Fatality Review Coordinator
Texas Department of State Health Services
Injury.web@dshs.texas.gov
Titlev@dshs.texas.gov
PO Box 149347, Mail Code 1914
Austin, TX 78714-9347
512-776-7373
External links
to other sites are intended to be informational and do not have the endorsement
of the Texas Department of State Health Services. These external links may not
be accessible to persons with disabilities. For more information about Child
Fatality Review Teams or information regarding injury prevention in Texas,
please email injury.web@dshs.texas.gov or call (512) 776-7373.