Child Death Reviews: Scottish Government Steering Group Report

Annex 1

MEMBERSHIP, ROLE AND REMIT

CHILD DEATH REVIEW STEERING GROUP

Membership

ROLE AND REMIT

To establish a National Framework for reviewing child deaths in Scotland which achieves the following:

1. A system for reviewing child deaths across Scotland in a consistent manner in order to reduce the number of child deaths.

2. The provision of clear learning points from the process which links into Scottish Government policy and enables quality improvement across all services.

3. Improve communication with bereaved families.

Objectives for the National Framework

• Ensure the accurate identification and uniform, consistent reporting of the cause and manner of every child death in Scotland
• Determine the age range and deaths to include and exclude
• Improve inter-agency responses in the investigation of child deaths
• Improve inter-agency responses in the structured review of child deaths
• Determine who will host (hold) the data, who it can be accessed by and how, IT system to use, core dataset to be captured
• Determine governance: area of review teams, who is responsible for ensuring a review takes place/identifying cases, arrangements if child dies outwith area or outwith Scotland
• Determine arrangements for review, including information gathering, confidentiality, venue, recording, standardised forms and agenda
• Determine standards for communication and support to families to improve the quality, timeliness and method of information sharing with families in the aftermath of a child death and through the review process
• Identify and manage implications for other family members
• Identify significant risk factors and trends in child deaths
• Determine dissemination of learning from reviews, including increasing public awareness and advocacy for the issues that affect the health and safety of children
• Ensure the process does not replicate other work carried out in Scotland and the UK, i.e., Scottish Paediatric Patient Safety Programme, SUDI process, RCPCH Clinical Outcomes Review Programme.
• Consider the need for statutory legislation to ensure a national Child Death Review System is put in place.

The Steering Group will be expected to:

• Review and agree the work plan of the project
• Attend meetings, provide support and advice as required
• Contribute to the development of a Child Death Review process by attending meetings and by email between meetings
• Ensure wide communication within individual networks to ensure buy-in
• Contribute to and sign off the final report.

Resources to support this work:

The Scottish Government Child and Maternal Health Division will oversee and provide secretariat support to the group. Other partners will be asked to contribute as necessary.