CDR teams originated in 1978 with the creation of a multidisciplinary–agency in Los Angeles County, California to investigate fetal and infant deaths and the escalating violence against children (Durfee, Gellert, & Tilton-Durfee, 1992). These teams were founded on the idea that discrepancies in reporting will occur less when all documents related to a child death are reviewed by a team of professionals with the purpose of sharing information related to the death circumstances (Webster, Schnitzer, Jenny, Ewigman, & Alario, 2003). With this change in procedure, no longer could reports within one agency be isolated from the reports within another agency. It was thought that the unique characteristics of each profession contributed to mismanagement …show more content…
Missouri was the first state with a fully functioning review team (Durfee et al., 1992) and the number of states with a child death review protocol doubled by 1992 (Webster at al.). There was speculation of great variability among the operation and effectiveness of the teams (Webster et al., 2003). This same study revealed that 34 of the 46 states (74%) collecting data were using a standardized form. The authors report that Kentucky established a CDR in 1997 through legislation for state and local review of selective causes of death without any funding. Although interest in reviewing child fatalities among states was growing, by 1999, no universal system of investigation of infant and child deaths had been established (Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect and Committee on Community Health Services). The Committee report tells us that many states had review teams, but these were operating with a lack of consistency of membership, procedures and data collection. They argued for “a centralized database” (p. 1159). Douglas and McCarthy (2011) conducted a review of policy on child deaths and inserted a need to standardize data
Serious case reviews are called by the local safeguarding children’s board when a child dies and abuse and neglect are known or suspected to be a factor in the death. They will involve the local authority children’s service and the police, as well as health, education
‘When a child dies, and abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the death…. Organisations should consider whether there are any lessons to be learnt about the ways in which they work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’ (DfES 2006: 8.2 p169)
Serious Case Reviews (SCR’s) are undertaken when a child dies (including death by suspected suicide), by a local authority (and more often than not by the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board) if abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the death. SCR’s are not enquiries into how a child died or who was responsible; that is a matter for the Coroner's and Criminal Courts to determine. Instead the purpose of Serious Case Reviews is to:
Justice for Gabriel Fernandez can mean justice for all children. In order to protect our children from negligent and irresponsible social work major changes need to take place in not only the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), but all Departments of Children and Family Services statewide. The four Los Angeles County DCFS workers should be found guilty of the criminal charges brought against them for failing to protect Gabriel Fernandez, which led to his untimely death. Our children are dying, because the people entrusted to care for our most vulnerable children are failing
in England a serious case review is an examination of all the evidence presented if a child dies as a result of suspected or actual abuse or neglect. Other parts of the uk have their own
There are many challenges that are faced daily when becoming or being a mandated reporter.
It is important to remember that if the professionals involved decide to investigate the matter when a suspected case of child abuse has been reported by the practitioner; then the practitioner’s records will be vital evidence and, as such, must be accurate. It may be many months after the event has taken place when the practitioner is
The controversial issue of whether or not Child Protective Services are doing their jobs properly, has grabbed nationwide attention. Child Protective Services is the name of a government agency in many states of the United States whose mission is to respond to reports of child abuse and neglect. Some of these cases may include physical abuse, sexual abuse, and mental abuse (Wikipedia). The child welfare system is corrupted. The parents and guardians who are accused of abuse are automatically labeled as guilty and will have to prove their innocence; instead of being innocent until proven guilty.
Child protective services (CPS) is a government agency located in many states across the United States that helps children stay away from harm and abuse. Child protective services and its agencies plays a big role in society. Children of all ages are assaulted and most of the times by a dearest loved one. Child abuse is defined as any type of neglect upon a child including mentally, physically, and sexually.
The organization under investigation is Child Protective Services, also referred to as CPS, which is an agency within the Department of Family and Protective Services. CPS is a governmental organization that has existed for years. The agency is designed to protect children from abuse and neglect. There are numerous cases that are called in on a daily basis in the state of Texas, and it is the duty of state employees to address all allegations in a timely manner. The positions held as a caseworker within the agency are either Investigator, Special Investigator, Family Based Safety Services Specialist, or Conservatorship Specialist. Due to the required work and deadlines involved with being a caseworker at CPS, the job can become very
Many people think it is wrong to just leave your child at a hospital and forget about it, but there are worse fates for children whose parents did not know about the Safe Haven Laws. The risk of homicide on the first day of life is 10 times greater than the rate during any other time of life (Herman-Giddens 1425). In a population-based study called Newborns Killed or Left to Die by a Parent, five authors describe cases of infant death and abandonment in North Carolina, “Over a 16 year period in North Carolina, we report 34 newborns known to be killed or discarded in the first day of life by (or likely) the parents, an annual rate of 2.1 per 100,000 newborns” (Herman-Giddens 1428). Sadly, only a few deaths were unintentional, “The majority of these cases (91.2%) were ruled as homicides, while three were found to be unintentional due to natural causes” (Herman-Giddens 1428). Mothers were usually the ones that abandon or kill the newborn, “mothers were the perpetrators in all cases where the perpetrator was positively identified” (Herman-Giddens 1428).
For 30 years, advocates, program administrators, and politicians have joined to encourage even more reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. Their efforts have been successful, with about three million cases of suspected child abuse having been reported in 1993. Large numbers of endangered children still go unreported, but a serious problem had developed: Upon investigation, as many as 65 percent or the reports now being made are determined to be "unsubstantiated", raising serious civil liberties concerns and placing a huge burden on investigative staffs.
The facts are that each year 160,000 children suffer severe or life-threatening injury and 1,000 to 2,000 children die as a result of abuse. Of these deaths, 80 percent involve children younger than five years of age, and 40 percent involve children younger than one year of age. One out of every 20-murder victim is a child. Murder is the fourth leading cause of death in children from one to four years of age and the third leading cause of death in children from five to fourteen years of age.
The death of a child or adult from abuse or neglect is of huge public and professional importance. In recognition of this, in England, every such
Not all cases of child abuse are reported. Reports from North Carolina and Colorado estimate that 50 to 60 percent of child fatalities are not reported as child abuse. Some of the children 's deaths could have been labeled accidental or as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), but these deaths could have actually resulted from child abuse. (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2004).