Child death reviews: year ending 31 March 2013
Data from local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs) in England.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
This data collection was introduced from 1 April 2008 and is designed to collect information on the number of child deaths which have been reviewed by child death overview panels (panels) on behalf of their local safeguarding children boards.
This fifth year of collection covers reviews completed between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013 and includes information about the characteristics of the children who died from all panels (for example the age, gender and cause of death). For the first time it also includes information on the factors which contributed or may have contributed to the death (for example allergies, parental supervision and smoking during pregnancy.)
Data collected from CDOPs on the reviews completed between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012 is also available.
Main findings
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a total of 3,857 child death reviews were completed by panels in the year ending 31 March 2012
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of the child death reviews completed in the year ending 31 March 2012, 806 were identified as having modifiable factors (21% of all the child death reviews which were completed. A similar proportion to the previous year)
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panels are asked to categorise the likely cause of death. Deaths categorised as being due to “deliberately inflicted injury, abuse or neglect” had the highest proportion of deaths identified as having modifiable factors (65%), although deaths due to this cause only represented 1% of the deaths reviewed during the year
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modifiable factors were identified in a higher proportion of deaths of children aged 28 days-364 days and children aged 15-17 years (with nearly 3 in every 10 deaths having modifiable factors identified in these age groups), compared to the youngest of babies, where only 16% of deaths in children ages under 28 days were identified as having modifiable factors
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this is based on the child death reviews completed in year ending 31 March 2013 where there was sufficient information available for the panel to determine if there were modifiable factors in the death
As part of a government drive for data transparency in official publications, we have included supporting data for this publication as an additional table, as well as supplementary information showing the data collection form and the collection guidance notes.
Queries should be directed to:
Andy Brook
01325 735408