Last reviewed January 2024
One Minute Guide to Child Death Review Process
What is the purpose of the Child Death Review (CDR) Process?
The purpose is to collect information about the deaths of all children in the area so the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) can;
- Document, analyse and review information in relation to each child that dies in order to confirm the cause of death, determine any contributing factors and to identify learning arising from the pro-cess that may prevent future child deaths.
- To make recommendations to all relevant organisations where actions have been identified which may prevent future deaths or promote the health, safety and wellbeing of children
- To contribute to local, regional and national initiatives to improve learning from CDRs
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What is the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP)? Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) is a multi-agency panel responsible for reviewing information on all child death’s up to the age of 18 in the Wakefield & North Kirklees Districts. -
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Who is on the Child Death Overview Panel? The Panel is chaired by Public Health and has representatives from;– Local Authority Children’s Services and Education
– Child Health Services such as paediatrics, nursing, general practitioners and midwifery
– Police
– Public Health
On occasion the Panel co-opt experts to assist their information gathering and analysis when needed.
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How do the reviews happen? The CDOP meets bi-monthly and holds joint panel meetings with North Kirklees. All the information presented to the Panel is anonymised, strictly confidential and is treated with sensitivity and respect. -
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How do we involve parents and family members in the CDR Process? The parents of each child receive a letter along with an NHS England Child Death Review booklet following the death of their child. Both advise them about the CDR process and how they can express their views and contribute into it if they wish. -
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How does the Panel report its findings? The CDOP, in collaboration with the Calderdale and Kirklees areas, provide an annual report to the respective area’s Safeguarding Children Partnership. This is a publicly available document, which is published on the Wakefield Safeguarding Children Partnership website and e-bulletin.All reports prepared by the Panel are based on aggregated information, and no personal case information is included in them.
The panel will be seeking sensitive confidential information about the child and other family members.
The statutory framework that underpins this information is laid down in Chapter 6 of Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023).
To learn more about Wakefield's Child Death Arrangments visit our WSCP dedicated Child Death page.
One Minute Guide adapted from North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership with thanks
