Summary of the impact
Every year over 5,000 children and young people in the UK die. Previous
research suggests that 20-25% of these deaths may be preventable, and in
comparison to many other European countries, the UK has higher child
mortality rates. Child Death Review processes, introduced in the USA in
the 1970s have been proposed as a means of learning from child deaths and
driving prevention initiatives. Prior to 2008, the UK had no national
system for reviewing and learning from children's deaths.
From 2006 to 2007, a team from Warwick Medical School led by Dr Peter
Sidebotham undertook government-funded research examining a number of
Local Authorities across England who had set up pilot Child Death Overview
Panels (CDOPs). The findings from this research were instrumental in
developing national policy and procedures for child death reviews. The
Warwick research emphasised the importance of a multi-agency approach to
reviewing all child deaths, with a strong public health focus on learning
lessons for prevention, and robust systems for notification and gathering
information. This, together with other research by Warwick Medical School
on fatal child maltreatment published between 2009 and 2011, has
contributed to updated national policy and interagency practice to
safeguard children.
Although it is too early in the process to demonstrate any impact on the
ultimate goal of reducing preventable child deaths, CDOPs have now been
established in every Local Authority in England, as well as an all-Wales
panel, and current work in Scotland and Northern Ireland is considering
how best to implement such reviews. These panels are reviewing all child
deaths in England, resulting in local prevention initiatives, and national
returns enabling a clearer picture of the nature of preventable child
deaths.