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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 such
as drowning prevention and motor vehicle safety. These recommendations relate
to modifying current legislation, increasing public education, and determining
feasibility of strengthening systems.
This committee
reports aggregate child fatality data collected by local CFRTs and recommends
strategies to prevent child fatalities and injuries. The committee provides
recommendations to the Texas Legislature and the DFPS child safety review
subcommittee on child protective services operations. The child safety review
subcommittee is an internal DFPS committee that meets quarterly to discuss
recommendations to improve DFPS practices and prevent child deaths. The report
is made to the governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives
no later than April 1 of each even-numbered year.
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Investigation Reporting Form
National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention Guidance
State Child Fatality Review Team Committee
Child Fatality Review Teams
Reports, Protocols, and Guidelines
Helpful Websites
Sudden
Unexpected Infant Death Investigation Reporting Form
The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated the Sudden
Unexpected Infant Death Investigation Reporting Form (SUIDIRF). The SUIDIRF is a voluntary tool for
states and jurisdictions to use and allows investigators to document their
findings easily and consistently. As a result, the SUIDIRF produces information
to better understand sudden unexpected infant death and inform efforts to
prevent future deaths.
In collaboration
with stakeholders, CDC reduced redundancy and streamlined the form, reordered
and retitled sections, and updated questions to address emerging issues. The revised
SUIDIRF has been endorsed by the American Board of Medicolegal Death
Investigators, the National Association of Medical Examiners, and the
International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners.
View the revised SUIDIRF on the CDC’s website.
New National
Center for Fatality Review and Prevention Guidance
The National
Center for Fatality Review and Prevention (NCFRP) released 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.
COVID-19 Guidance
(NCFRP.org) - https://www.ncfrp.org/wp-content/uploads/NCRPCD-Docs/COVID-19_Guidance.pdf
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 three 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 to the Texas governor and Texas
Legislature for changes in law, policy, and practice to reduce the number of preventable
child deaths.
The next SCFRT meeting will take place on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021 at 10 a.m. (CST). The location of the meeting is to be determined. More information will be provided once the agenda and meeting logistics are finalized.
Recordings of past SCFRT Committee meeting
can be found on the Texas Health
and Human Services website.
Now Accepting New Member Applications
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is currently accepting
applications for membership on the committee for the following positions:
The SCFRT
Committee permanent members will appoint members to the SCFRT Committee to
serve a term of three years. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. (CT) on Oct.
8, 2021. You may submit the application by email.
The SCFRT
Committee tries to choose committee members that represent the diversity of all
Texans. For that reason, the committee considers applicants' ethnicity, gender,
and geographic location.
The vote for
open positions will take place at the November SCFRT Committee meeting. DSHS
will notify applicants by Nov. 22, 2021 if they have been selected.
About the
State Child Fatality Review Team Committee
The State Child Fatality Review Team (SCFRT) Committee was created by Texas Family Code 264.501. SCFRT must produce a biennial report that is available to the public. The report includes information about incidence and causes of child deaths and recommendations to the Texas governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).
SCFRT members must attend meetings and may need take part in subcommittee activities. Committee meetings take place at least four times annually or at the call of the committee chair. Members must travel to Austin for in-person meetings unless the SCFRT Committee meets virtually. SCFRT members may receive reimbursement for travel expenses to participate on the committee.
For more information about the committee or about applying to be on the committee, email cfrt@dshs.texas.gov.
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 State CFRT.
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 while 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). If you are interested in learning more
about child fatality review efforts in your area, please contact cfrt@dshs.texas.gov.
Reports,
Protocols, and Guidelines
Helpful
Websites
- National Center for Fatality Review &
Prevention Case
Reporting System
- National MCH Center for Child Death Review
- ICAN National Center on Child Fatality Review
- National Center for Fatality Review &
Prevention
Includes 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 fatality review meetings,
incorporating health equity into fatality review and writing recommendations.
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.